If you already have a decent amount of followers on Instagram, put up a Story with the Q/A sticker being like "Hey, I'm doing this thing - if you're interested add your email address here." It'll give you a list to start with. I noticed there's quite a bit of networking going on in Substack Notes, so if you find your kind of people on there, commenting on and sharing their/your stuff back and forth seems to go a long way. I also made a QR code for my newsletter (you could put it on a business card or print it on a bunch of other stuff) to direct people right to it.
Feb 19, 2024

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the QR thing is a really good idea I’ve never thought of (thank you!), but I actually don’t have many followers on instagram. I’m considering starting a Tiktok instead because it’s probably easier to get attention there but I hate Tiktok
Feb 19, 2024

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The best advice I have is to just keep writing and posting. Act like you have a large audience and address that huge audience in every post. Then, share each newsletter on twitter or x or threads and Instagram to get people who are already cheering you on can read/subscribe/etc. It takes time but idk I love the little community I've built with my tv specific substack (which is about 150 subscribers in 2 years).
Sep 15, 2024
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I love knowing that less than 10 people I know follow me on Substack. The algorithm is pretty decent & I love yapping to strangers
Sep 26, 2024
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i started a substack back in the fall and the only people who read it are a handful of my friends. it’s a lot of fun because i write about whatever i want and they read it no matter what. sometimes they give feedback. so cute!
Feb 22, 2025

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Here it is, folks! Volume I of what could very well be a continuous project. Thank you so much to everyone that submitted - I smiled the entire time I was putting this together. It's best listened to with headphones ☺️ Liner Notes: This collection of field recordings is a collaborative effort with users of PI.FYI, each of which recorded their own pieces. It features audio from all over the world and exhibits eclectic moments from London Underground commutes to cuckoo bird calls in Dhaka to the sounds of a century-old American diner. Online communities like PI.FYI often represent a diverse set of people, places, and experiences, but together, the submissions form a living collage that highlights the commonalities of modern life - a unifying message for such a tumultuous time. The first track features all of the sounds played at once in an attempt to create an audio snapshot of an online community but in their offline lives. The individual recordings are unedited except for minor gain and compression adjustments for consistency across the collection.
Mar 29, 2025