Substack Year One: The Signals You Can’t See in Your Dashboard

Thank you

Sally French Wessely

,

Claire Amritavani Brown

,

Julie Babis

,

Anna Wharton

and many others for tuning into my live video! Join me for my next live video in the app.

🎙️ Livestream Recap: The Signals You Can’t See in Your Dashboard

Today I went live with something a little different — a podcast-style reflection on what I’ve seen happen again and again for creators who bring an audience with them into Substack.

Whether you arrive with 100,000 readers or just a strong reputation, your first year here asks something new of you. Not just creatively — but strategically, emotionally, even energetically.

Here are the four moments I walked through:

1. The Creative Surge… Then Static

Publishing on Substack feels expansive at first — no gatekeepers, no delays, just momentum. (And audiences tend to have a bit of “beginner’s zeal” enthusiasm, too!)

But once the audience is real and responsive, something shifts for them and for you.

Your voice might tighten. Your clarity might blur.

It’s not a crisis — it’s a natural recalibration.

2. Direct Access Is a Gift — And a Disruptor

Substack gives you direct connection. But when it’s your name, your frameworks, your lens — the pressure changes.

You’re not just publishing.

You’re shaping perspective. Holding attention. Carrying trust.

That’s a powerful role — and one that needs boundaries.

3. You Might Drift From Your Center (Even If Everything’s “Working”)

You’re showing up, publishing consistently, maybe even growing.

But something feels… fuzzy.

You can’t quite feel your own work the way you did when you started.

That’s not burnout. That’s a signal to pause, reorient and return on purpose.

4. What You Need Most Is a Way to Steady Yourself

The real challenge isn’t output — it’s staying in relationship with your voice, your audience and your direction once people are watching.

What helps isn’t more content. It’s structure.
Systems that hold your clarity when the work gets noisy.
Practices that keep you honest.
Support that doesn’t pull you into performance.

If you’re in that first year — feeling energized and a little disoriented — that’s not a red flag. That’s often the sign that something true is trying to take shape.

You don’t need to scale faster. You need to listen more deeply — to yourself, and to what your work is showing you.