How to get distributed on Substack: move your list, then earn the byline.

Almost nobody subscribes the first time they see your name. Here’s how Substack decides who gets shown to strangers, and what to do on day one.

Most people open a Substack, write a great first post, and wait for the platform to find them.

It doesn’t.

A publication that shows up with subscribers gets treated like an established one.

Want the whole system now? Here’s where I wrote it all down.

So my first move isn’t writing. It’s moving my list. My email list has never lived on Substack. It lives on my own email platform, where it’s a file I can download any night I want.

Here’s the migration, in order. It takes an afternoon:

1. Export your list to a spreadsheet file from wherever it lives now.
2. Clean it. Remove anyone who hasn’t opened in a year. You want engagement, not headcount.
3. Import before your first post, not after. That’s what makes post one land in real inboxes.
4. Tell your old list where you went. One short, honest email.
5. Publish a welcome post that same week. Silence for three weeks loses them.
6. Turn on recommendations both ways. Recommend what you actually read.
7. Open a paid tier right away. No button means nobody can pay you.

Not all subscribers are equal. When I traced every paid subscriber back to where they came from, here’s what I found:

1. Automated onboarding has the highest churn. They tapped “continue” on a screen. They didn’t choose you.
2. Recommendations are mixed. Same-lane writers send people who want you. Big, unrelated ones send volume.
3. Notes and restacks bring the good ones. Smaller numbers, much better open rates. These people reply.
4. Outside traffic is best of all. A search, a pin, a video. The smallest bucket and the biggest share of revenue.

Then there’s the Rule of 3. First time, you’re a stranger. Second time, something registers. Third time, your name feels familiar. That’s when they subscribe.

Your own Note. A smart comment on a bigger post. A restack with your take. Three touches.

Notes bring followers. Followers bring free subscribers. The paywall brings paid ones.

I post at least three Notes a day. Stories, not tips. I keep what moves and delete what doesn’t.

I wrote all of this down, including the parts that didn’t fit here: how I set up, what my Notes look like, and where I put the paywall.

That’s one piece of it. I run 22 income streams on my own, after 40, and I wrote down every one of them, step by step, so you can pick the one or two that fit you and stack them.

Your list isn’t the platform’s list.

Move it. Then go earn the byline.

Lori

P.S. The first paid subscriber changes how you show up. Here’s the whole playbook.

Earnings disclaimer: Any income or results I share are my own and are not typical. Your results will depend on your effort, experience, niche and the market. Nothing here is a promise or guarantee that you’ll make money.