3 Ways To Develop Your Substack
Ok maybe there are way more than three here
Reading time about 4 minutes.
Method 1: Let myself be content with crooked photos and embrace the spontaneous nature of this platform.
Motherhood Minute wasn’t part of some grand marketing plan, but it has surprised me with its development.
I originally wanted to dish out advice as if I knew anything well enough to make that happen.
I figured my experiences as a business owner and mother would be enough fuel for writing. Instead, I found my hardest moments cultivated a desire to document life without the answers.
In the past year, I found that the power of sharing with vulnerability and curiosity (not my “wisdom”) increases my community building. I’m naturally an introvert so this little corner of the internet feels a lot closer to the organic growth of blogging in the mid-2000s than the social media landscape that bloomed afterward.
Branding on Substack can mean a few things depending on your goals, but ultimately the best way to distinguish yourself on this platform will be to carve out a space to be a unique voice.
How do I “break the rules” in Motherhood Minute?
I experiment with format and learn that I’m comfortable writing about 1500 words or less. I struggled with that tendency for many years because I believed it made me a poor writer. Breaking the rules was less about everyone else and more about identifying my internal narratives about creativity.
I have realized that the length of Motherhood Minute is a sweet spot reading time for most people like me: the working mother who types up 80% of newsletters with a kid in her arms. (The information bubble Substack provides at the bottom of the editor was also an excellent feature for hooking me in.)
Here are three ways you can develop your personal brand on Substack (if you want.)
Use Canva to create a basic branding board.
Canva has thousands of free templates that let you do this to keep your fonts and colors consistent with any graphics you may make. I would start with a logo, an email header, and a basic color scheme. That being said, I moved from a website blog to Substack last year because I didn’t have to worry about all the graphics to create and could focus purely on writing.
Figure out your values.
I didn’t say niche. I said values. You can do this in two ways.
First, write down the top three things you value and keep them visible where you write. When you choose what to write about, ask yourself if it aligns.
Second, create a tagline for guidance. Motherhood Minute offers quick reads in six minutes or less. I created this publication because I was nursing late at night and alone but my mind was craving a space where I could write about who I was becoming in a community. Why six minutes or less? That’s about as much time as I can spare these days.
Don’t make content here for likes.
Unapologetically write about what feels significant to you and play with the formatting of your Substack.
But Chanel, wouldn’t it be better to plan everything you do here? Maybe.
Maybe coordinating topics for certain days works for you. Maybe it doesn’t. I have seen more growth when I don’t worry about planning and then focus on writing what impacts my life. I reach people who appreciate my vulnerability when I stick with my style.
Again that is all a personal choice. If you are a planner, please don’t change. I envy your ability to write the way you do. I’m sharing my own loose strategies because I see this a popular topic right now on Substack and I want to encourage you to play and stay in a sea of voices saying you “should” do this or this.
What do you disagree with? What did you find helpful? What should we talk about next?
Other ways I format my Substack:
I add a small heading on top that informs people approximately how long it will take them to read.
I leave all posts public to read and comment on with an automatic timer that makes them private unless you’re a paid subscriber.
Have a great writing experience! By the way, I wrote 80% of this on my phone 😉
Chanel Riggle