July 24, 2025 • 8 mins
There’s a new(ish) platform in town…and creators are cashing in. 👀
If you're a creator, influencer, or service provider looking to grow your audience, build a community, and actually own your email list… It's time to take a closer look at Substack! This episode your Substack 101, with everything you need to get started with clarity and confidence.
I’m breaking down:
▸ What Substack actually is (and why creators are obsessed)
▸ How to set up your account and start publishing
▸ Monetization tips: Free vs Paid and how to position your offer
▸ How to grow your email list and keep readers coming back
▸ Real creator examples using Substack to grow their biz
Substack isn’t just another newsletter platform. It’s a space to share your voice, serve your people, and earn while doing it. Whether you're starting from scratch or ready to turn readers into revenue, this video will give you a roadmap to build something that’s truly yours.
💻 Free Brand Deals Training: https://sidewalkerdaily.com/brand-deals-training/
🤩 Ready To Level Up? Speak with Our Success Manager: https://calendly.com/sidewalkerdailyteam/discovery
👉 Book A Call: https://sidewalkerdaily.com/coaching-influencers-creators/
🌟 Best-Selling Pitching to Brands Mastercourse: https://sidewalkerdaily.com/ptbm/
🎁 Free Gift For Influencers & Creators: https://sidewalkerdaily.com/influencer-business-resources/
🛒 Shop our Amazon Store 🛒: https://www.amazon.com/shop/sidewalkerdaily
This episode can also been seen on YouTube: https://youtu.be/WBNeGBlP_6Y
If you're a creator, influencer, or service provider looking to grow your audience, build a community, and actually own your email list… It's time to take a closer look at Substack! This episode your Substack 101, with everything you need to get started with clarity and confidence.
I’m breaking down:
▸ What Substack actually is (and why creators are obsessed)
▸ How to set up your account and start publishing
▸ Monetization tips: Free vs Paid and how to position your offer
▸ How to grow your email list and keep readers coming back
▸ Real creator examples using Substack to grow their biz
Substack isn’t just another newsletter platform. It’s a space to share your voice, serve your people, and earn while doing it. Whether you're starting from scratch or ready to turn readers into revenue, this video will give you a roadmap to build something that’s truly yours.
💻 Free Brand Deals Training: https://sidewalkerdaily.com/brand-deals-training/
🤩 Ready To Level Up? Speak with Our Success Manager: https://calendly.com/sidewalkerdailyteam/discovery
👉 Book A Call: https://sidewalkerdaily.com/coaching-influencers-creators/
🌟 Best-Selling Pitching to Brands Mastercourse: https://sidewalkerdaily.com/ptbm/
🎁 Free Gift For Influencers & Creators: https://sidewalkerdaily.com/influencer-business-resources/
🛒 Shop our Amazon Store 🛒: https://www.amazon.com/shop/sidewalkerdaily
This episode can also been seen on YouTube: https://youtu.be/WBNeGBlP_6Y
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to Influencer Confidential by Sidewalker Daily. My name is
Nina Zeta and I will be your host. I love
working with brands and influencers on all things business strategy.
Are you ready to learn what it takes to work
in this influencer industry and see behind the curtain? Well,
let's jump in. Substack is the biggest rage right now
(00:24):
online and I'm sure you guys have heard about it
everywhere and wondering should you join? Should you not? So
what I want to do today is do a deep
dive on substock, specifically speaking to creators to help you
decide is this a good opportunity for you should you join?
What is this all about? And really go into the
nuts and bolts before you make a decision. So, first
of all, what is substack And I just want to
(00:46):
start off with like the simplest way to explain it,
to start off with like a basic definition. Substack is
a platform that allows you to write newsletters and share
them directly with your audience via email, but it also
post them on the website. So for many it's a
really simple way to share their content without having to
build a website. And similarly, like if you are someone
(01:10):
who wants to write a newsletter or an email list,
but don't want to build out your own email list.
Substack is that platform for you. So now you guys
may be wondering about money, like what's the money situation?
So you don't have to pay to be on substack.
The way substack works is that they take a commission
from your paid subscribers. It is free to use. There's
(01:30):
just a commission on earnings. Now, think about it. If
you were to use another email platform, you're paying per email, right,
so it's very standard for most email platforms to pay
per email. Subsac is turning that on its head. They're saying, hey,
you can use this for free, but for that paywall,
for that paid subscriber, we're going to take a cut.
So that is for now, it is completely free to use,
(01:51):
except that commission's piece. Also, people love substack because it
is again you don't have to build the website. It's
quite simple, it's quite easy. There's no algorithms, there's no gatekeeping,
like your content goes to their email inbox. You know,
when you publish, you can export your email list at
any time, So you are really using this as an
(02:11):
opportunity to grow your emails. Creators, you know I love this.
You know I love this because this means you get
to own your emails and not just have followers, but
have your emails. In case anything happens, you're able to
always have access to your people. Creators also love it
because of the monetization. It's really easy to switch on
and off those paywalls if you are looking for a
(02:32):
way to monetize your people, monetize your lists. We're seeing
creators do this successfully on substock because they are charging
their users to be able to access it. So monetization
is a big thing here at substock, and it should
be right because that's how they make money, so they
want to get you subscribers. Now. They do take about
a ten percent commission, whereas if you were to do
it like somewhere else maybe Stripe, it's like two to
(02:54):
three percent. It's a bigger chunk. But again, you're not
paying for website hosting, none of that. It's a simple tool.
You don't have to worry, like I said, about hosting
or building or web development. They're going to handle all
of that. I think Subsec, like I showed you earlier,
had that rising Board. It really makes it easy to
also discover new people, to find new content, to grow
your list by being recommended by other people as well,
(03:16):
Like what we saw what that other creator was doing, Like, oh,
follow all ten of these people too, So there is
that built in recommendation so that you guys can drive
traffic to each other's pages. Now, I would say that
subseac is better for like writers, bloggers, creators, personalities, you know,
versus like traditional companies that need in a more robust
email platform. Like if you are doing segmentation in your
(03:38):
emails and you're doing sales and all of that, you're
going to want to go the traditional route. This is
really more for like that solopreneur, that content creator who
is creating useful content for her audience or his audience
and wants to monetize off of it. I don't see
it really for marketers. I see it more for like
those solo preneur business owners. The cool thing is we
are seeing embedded YouTube videos. We are seeing embedded we
(04:00):
are seeing embedded video in general. It's not just writing anymore.
There's the writing element, but you can also make it
interactive and multimedia. Substack also does give you analytics and
metrics you know, on your growth, on your open rates
and traditional email metrics. So creators you do have that,
you know you can include affiliates and sponsored links and
things of that nature. I'm sure we're going to see
(04:22):
way way more brand deals happening on substack. I actually
have a formula for how to charge for your email
lists inside my pitching course, and that same formula, y'all
for those of you who already have that program can
be used for substack email subscribers as well, because it
really comes down to click through rates and you know
who's reading your content, etc. People love substack because it
(04:42):
just feels a lot less algorithm dependent. You know, there's
no algorithm at the moment, like you're getting what you see,
You're getting what you sign up for. It's quite low
maintenance and it's what you make of it, and you know,
at the end of the day. Some people, like people
that love to write or wanted to host a blog,
this feels like the new age blog if you're able
to monetize off your blog, so that seems quite exciting
(05:03):
as well. There has been some questions regarding like will
your substack rank on Google? Is this something that is happening,
and I know a lot of substack creators are seeing
more and more improvements in this This is just something
that you would have to do with Google directly in
your site maps and all of that, but we are
seeing Google rank more substacks, and I think this is
just going to be the beginning because it's still so
(05:23):
very new. Now, before we wrap up, I do want
to share I got some notes from my community because
I did host a substack like open forum where we
all got to chat, and I want to share with
you guys some of the main questions that came up
and some tips from other creators. So people were asking
about like how often should you post, and everyone has
a different cadence. Some creators were posting once or twice
(05:44):
a month, and others were posting two or three times
a week. So again it's really what you decide to
put into it. But creators that have been posting once
or twice a month have still seen success on this platform.
Someone was asking can it replace my blog or my website,
and we ultimately were like, yes it can, but again
it depends on your strategy and like your monetization goals,
so like for me, it's not going to replace my
(06:04):
blogger website, but I would use it maybe to build
a personal brand or a completely different brand altogether, but
again that's up to you. People are all asking about
like AI and chat shept for content, and a lot
of people are saying that, like, use it for editing,
but not writing, because SEPSEC is still very heavy focus
on writing and that human authenticity is super important. I
(06:25):
also was told don't wait too long to turn on
your paywall. People want to support you from the beginning.
You don't have to hit like ten thousand followers or
something to turn on your paywall. Turn it on from
the very very beginning. And if you're deciding, you know,
what stays free what is premium? Decide that very early on.
Come up with a strategy like, okay, this one post
a week is always going to be free, and it's
always on the same thing. So let's just say it's
(06:47):
like three things you need to know this week that
is always free, but everything else, like, is going to
be paywalled. Or decide if it's a recipe, it's going
to be paywalled. If it's not, you know, you have
to be clear on your paywall. What's monetized and what's not.
That was a really good piece of advice that came
from here. People are also saying, don't forget to leverage
subsacks referral tools so you can organically grow all those
recommendations and just get on there. Like it's like, if
(07:10):
you want to vlog watch vlogs, you want to get
on subsack, get on subsack. Just consume the content first,
see if you like it, and then make a decision
based on if this is a tool that's easy for you.
I'm excited about this platform. I think it's a really
great monetization tool for a lot of creators. I don't
think it makes sense for everyone. And it's always about
capacity and time. So if you're going to do it,
(07:30):
do it. And if it's just going to be another
thing on your to do list and you're not ready,
then don't. I'd rather have you, guys, focus on one
or two things and do them well, then focus on
one hundred and do them bad. So that's the word
to the whys over here. I hope you enjoyed today's episode.
If you did, make sure to rate, review, and subscribe
to our show and visit Sidewalkerdaily dot com for more
(07:52):
resources on all things influencer, marketing and social media. Until
next time,
Welcome to Influencer Confidential by Sidewalker Daily. My name is
Nina Zeta and I will be your host. I love
working with brands and influencers on all things business strategy.
Are you ready to learn what it takes to work
in this influencer industry and see behind the curtain? Well,
let's jump in. Substack is the biggest rage right now
(00:24):
online and I'm sure you guys have heard about it
everywhere and wondering should you join? Should you not? So
what I want to do today is do a deep
dive on substock, specifically speaking to creators to help you
decide is this a good opportunity for you should you join?
What is this all about? And really go into the
nuts and bolts before you make a decision. So, first
of all, what is substack And I just want to
(00:46):
start off with like the simplest way to explain it,
to start off with like a basic definition. Substack is
a platform that allows you to write newsletters and share
them directly with your audience via email, but it also
post them on the website. So for many it's a
really simple way to share their content without having to
build a website. And similarly, like if you are someone
(01:10):
who wants to write a newsletter or an email list,
but don't want to build out your own email list.
Substack is that platform for you. So now you guys
may be wondering about money, like what's the money situation?
So you don't have to pay to be on substack.
The way substack works is that they take a commission
from your paid subscribers. It is free to use. There's
(01:30):
just a commission on earnings. Now, think about it. If
you were to use another email platform, you're paying per email, right,
so it's very standard for most email platforms to pay
per email. Subsac is turning that on its head. They're saying, hey,
you can use this for free, but for that paywall,
for that paid subscriber, we're going to take a cut.
So that is for now, it is completely free to use,
(01:51):
except that commission's piece. Also, people love substack because it
is again you don't have to build the website. It's
quite simple, it's quite easy. There's no algorithms, there's no gatekeeping,
like your content goes to their email inbox. You know,
when you publish, you can export your email list at
any time, So you are really using this as an
(02:11):
opportunity to grow your emails. Creators, you know I love this.
You know I love this because this means you get
to own your emails and not just have followers, but
have your emails. In case anything happens, you're able to
always have access to your people. Creators also love it
because of the monetization. It's really easy to switch on
and off those paywalls if you are looking for a
(02:32):
way to monetize your people, monetize your lists. We're seeing
creators do this successfully on substock because they are charging
their users to be able to access it. So monetization
is a big thing here at substock, and it should
be right because that's how they make money, so they
want to get you subscribers. Now. They do take about
a ten percent commission, whereas if you were to do
it like somewhere else maybe Stripe, it's like two to
(02:54):
three percent. It's a bigger chunk. But again, you're not
paying for website hosting, none of that. It's a simple tool.
You don't have to worry, like I said, about hosting
or building or web development. They're going to handle all
of that. I think Subsec, like I showed you earlier,
had that rising Board. It really makes it easy to
also discover new people, to find new content, to grow
your list by being recommended by other people as well,
(03:16):
Like what we saw what that other creator was doing, Like, oh,
follow all ten of these people too, So there is
that built in recommendation so that you guys can drive
traffic to each other's pages. Now, I would say that
subseac is better for like writers, bloggers, creators, personalities, you know,
versus like traditional companies that need in a more robust
email platform. Like if you are doing segmentation in your
(03:38):
emails and you're doing sales and all of that, you're
going to want to go the traditional route. This is
really more for like that solopreneur, that content creator who
is creating useful content for her audience or his audience
and wants to monetize off of it. I don't see
it really for marketers. I see it more for like
those solo preneur business owners. The cool thing is we
are seeing embedded YouTube videos. We are seeing embedded we
(04:00):
are seeing embedded video in general. It's not just writing anymore.
There's the writing element, but you can also make it
interactive and multimedia. Substack also does give you analytics and
metrics you know, on your growth, on your open rates
and traditional email metrics. So creators you do have that,
you know you can include affiliates and sponsored links and
things of that nature. I'm sure we're going to see
(04:22):
way way more brand deals happening on substack. I actually
have a formula for how to charge for your email
lists inside my pitching course, and that same formula, y'all
for those of you who already have that program can
be used for substack email subscribers as well, because it
really comes down to click through rates and you know
who's reading your content, etc. People love substack because it
(04:42):
just feels a lot less algorithm dependent. You know, there's
no algorithm at the moment, like you're getting what you see,
You're getting what you sign up for. It's quite low
maintenance and it's what you make of it, and you know,
at the end of the day. Some people, like people
that love to write or wanted to host a blog,
this feels like the new age blog if you're able
to monetize off your blog, so that seems quite exciting
(05:03):
as well. There has been some questions regarding like will
your substack rank on Google? Is this something that is happening,
and I know a lot of substack creators are seeing
more and more improvements in this This is just something
that you would have to do with Google directly in
your site maps and all of that, but we are
seeing Google rank more substacks, and I think this is
just going to be the beginning because it's still so
(05:23):
very new. Now, before we wrap up, I do want
to share I got some notes from my community because
I did host a substack like open forum where we
all got to chat, and I want to share with
you guys some of the main questions that came up
and some tips from other creators. So people were asking
about like how often should you post, and everyone has
a different cadence. Some creators were posting once or twice
(05:44):
a month, and others were posting two or three times
a week. So again it's really what you decide to
put into it. But creators that have been posting once
or twice a month have still seen success on this platform.
Someone was asking can it replace my blog or my website,
and we ultimately were like, yes it can, but again
it depends on your strategy and like your monetization goals,
so like for me, it's not going to replace my
(06:04):
blogger website, but I would use it maybe to build
a personal brand or a completely different brand altogether, but
again that's up to you. People are all asking about
like AI and chat shept for content, and a lot
of people are saying that, like, use it for editing,
but not writing, because SEPSEC is still very heavy focus
on writing and that human authenticity is super important. I
(06:25):
also was told don't wait too long to turn on
your paywall. People want to support you from the beginning.
You don't have to hit like ten thousand followers or
something to turn on your paywall. Turn it on from
the very very beginning. And if you're deciding, you know,
what stays free what is premium? Decide that very early on.
Come up with a strategy like, okay, this one post
a week is always going to be free, and it's
always on the same thing. So let's just say it's
(06:47):
like three things you need to know this week that
is always free, but everything else, like, is going to
be paywalled. Or decide if it's a recipe, it's going
to be paywalled. If it's not, you know, you have
to be clear on your paywall. What's monetized and what's not.
That was a really good piece of advice that came
from here. People are also saying, don't forget to leverage
subsacks referral tools so you can organically grow all those
recommendations and just get on there. Like it's like, if
(07:10):
you want to vlog watch vlogs, you want to get
on subsack, get on subsack. Just consume the content first,
see if you like it, and then make a decision
based on if this is a tool that's easy for you.
I'm excited about this platform. I think it's a really
great monetization tool for a lot of creators. I don't
think it makes sense for everyone. And it's always about
capacity and time. So if you're going to do it,
(07:30):
do it. And if it's just going to be another
thing on your to do list and you're not ready,
then don't. I'd rather have you, guys, focus on one
or two things and do them well, then focus on
one hundred and do them bad. So that's the word
to the whys over here. I hope you enjoyed today's episode.
If you did, make sure to rate, review, and subscribe
to our show and visit Sidewalkerdaily dot com for more
(07:52):
resources on all things influencer, marketing and social media. Until
next time,
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