Should You Try Substack For Making Money? My Experience

A personal breakdown of what worked, what did not, and whether Substack is worth trying for income.

Photo by Janne Simoes on Unsplash

If you’ve ever thought about writing for a living or making money from your ideas, you may have heard of Substack. 

It promises creators a simple way to earn directly from readers through paid newsletters. But does it really work? 

My experience using Substack taught me that it can be profitable, but only if you approach it strategically and consistently.

Before you start reading more, I have a good news for you:

Lately, I’ve been diving into these weird little online gigs where people are making earnings like $288/day watching TikTok videos, or $256/day for doing writing assistant job on Quora, etc. (yep, seriously!). I’m making money using these ideas as well on a daily basis. 

I’ve saved the best ones I found on this page right here in case you ever wanna peek at what’s actually out there. Some of them surprised me big time!

You can see the screenshot down below of the jobs you can choose from:

Picture by the author

You can check them out here!

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Now, back to the rest of the article:
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Here’s an honest look at what I learned, what works, and what to watch out for if you want to try Substack for making money.

Why Substack Is Different From a Blog

Substack is not a traditional blog. It is a newsletter platform that lets you:

• Send content directly to subscribers’ inboxes
• Offer free and paid tiers
• Monetize without relying on ads

The biggest advantage is control. You own your audience’s email addresses, which means you are not at the mercy of algorithms or social media trends.

But there’s a tradeoff: You need to convince people to subscribe and pay for your content. That’s where most beginners struggle.

How I Started on Substack

When I first signed up:

• I had no paid subscribers
• I only posted twice a week
• I wrote about online money making and side hustles

I focused on providing value first. No flashy promotions, no pressure to pay immediately just helpful content. That approach slowly built trust and engagement.

Building Your Audience

Substack works best if you treat it like both writing and marketing. Here’s what I did:

• Shared my newsletter on social media
• Posted short snippets on Twitter and LinkedIn
• Asked friends or followers to forward it if they found it useful
• Occasionally included a free incentive like a mini guide

Audience growth was slow at first, but it was steady. Quality beats quantity here. Even 200 highly engaged subscribers can lead to a reliable income if a portion of them pay.

Paid Newsletters: How I Monetized

I offered two options:

1. Free newsletter for everyone
2. Paid subscription ($5-$10/month) for exclusive tips, case studies, and step-by-step guides

I found that most readers stayed on the free tier at first. But after sending consistent, high-value content, a percentage upgraded to paid subscriptions. 

Over time, this became my main income from Substack.

What Worked Best

• Consistency: Posting at the same time weekly built trust
• Value over volume: One really helpful email beats multiple average ones
• Transparency: Explaining the benefit of paid content without pressure
• Email subject lines: Catchy, clear, and descriptive subjects improved open rates

Substack rewards persistence and clarity. You cannot just post and hope money comes in.

What Did Not Work

• Posting irregularly
• Over-promoting paid subscriptions too early
• Writing about topics that were too broad
• Ignoring subscriber feedback

Mistakes like these slowed my growth, but adjusting quickly helped me recover.

How Much Money Can You Make

Results vary, but here is what I experienced:

• 50 paid subscribers at $5/month = $250/month
• 100 paid subscribers at $10/month = $1,000/month

Income grows slowly at first, but with consistent effort, Substack can become a meaningful side hustle. It’s not get-rich-quick, but it is sustainable.

Tips for Anyone Trying Substack

1. Pick a niche you genuinely enjoy
2. Provide real, actionable value in each email
3. Promote your newsletter through social media and communities
4. Engage with subscribers through replies or polls
5. Start free, then introduce paid content once trust is built

These small habits make a huge difference over a few months.

Substack is a tool, not magic. It works if you consistently provide value and grow a small but engaged audience. 

My experience shows that even with limited time, you can turn your ideas into a real income stream.

It is ideal for writers, experts, and anyone who enjoys helping people with practical advice. 

You won’t get rich overnight, but you can build a steady, reliable side income and maybe even more over time.

Disclaimer: The links I have mentioned above, there are affiliate products in that links which means that if you make any purchase using those links, I’ll get a commission at no extra cost to you.