I moved over the newsletter to substack and I’m loving it so far. I’ll be making both longer and shorter form content on there moving forward, so check me out when you get the chance and recommend some substacks!
now let’s dive in
learn the players and the rules before you play
i’ve watched so many smart, accomplished people completely face-plant when they try to start fresh on a new platform.
these are people with impressive credentials, real expertise, actual results in their field. but they join tiktok or instagram thinking their offline success will just… transfer over.
and it doesn’t.
i’m not sure if it’s just me or if this is common.
every platform is like a new country with different customs, different incentives, different gatekeepers. you can be wildly impressive in real life and still completely invisible on day one of a new platform.
most people feel like just because they are well-educated or successful in their field, they are deserving of instant growth and attention without learning how to play the game.
i get it. it feels unfair.
you’ve put in the work, you have the knowledge, you should be able to just show up and have people listen.
but here’s what usually happens:
you join a new platform. you load up your bio with every credential you can think of. your degree, your certifications, your job title, maybe even how many years of experience you have.
you write your first post sharing some insight from your expertise. you hit publish expecting at least some recognition of your authority.
then you get like 3 likes and 1 comment from your bestie.
you feel confused. maybe a little hurt.
so you try harder
you make your next post even more polished, even more professional. you share more credentials. you use bigger words. you try to sound more authoritative.
still nothing.
so you either give up entirely or you fall into this weird trap where you’re constantly trying to prove your worth through your content instead of just being helpful.
every post becomes this desperate attempt to showcase your expertise rather than actually connecting with people who need what you know.
i’ve been there. it sucks.
but here’s what I discovered when I started treating each new platform like entering a foreign country where my passport doesn’t matter
the flip that changes everything
instead of announcing, you apprentice.
instead of broadcasting, you study.
instead of expecting attention, you redistribute it.
this is what i call zero status entry. you enter like an apprentice, not a broadcaster. you earn native trust with behavior, not biography. you treat your first moves as calibration, not a debut.
bio stripped of titles is definitely one of the first moves. credentials off. curiosity on.
the most impressive thing about someone isn’t what they’ve done. it’s how quickly they can figure out what works in a new environment. and you can’t figure that out while you’re busy trying to import your old status.
so if you don’t announce, what do you actually study in week one?
what to study when you’re new (the six-signal scan)
this is the core ritual i run anywhere: substack (i recently moved my newsletter here), linkedin, tiktok, twitter, youtube, reddit, whatever.
last wednesday night, i spent about an hour doing this for substack. followed 10 new people i had no idea about before. publicly praised 3 of them. paid for 1 small offering to peek behind the curtain.
here’s exactly what i was looking for, and why each signal matters:
vibe: how they show up
what to look for: tone, stance, energy. are they teacherly, punchy, chill, nerdy, spicy? how do they handle disagreement? are they leading with stories, data, frameworks? do they sound like they’re talking to friends or giving a lecture?
how to capture it: write 3 adjectives for each creator. note 1 line they repeat often. screenshot one opening hook that made you stop scrolling.
the reason this matters is because every platform rewards certain vibes over others. what works on linkedin might feel totally wrong on tiktok. you’re training your ear for the room’s language.
if you want to learn how I got comfortable in my own skin online, you can read this.
cadence: their posting rhythm
what to look for: posting rhythm, typical days/times, content length, format mix. do they publish 2-3x/week or daily? long posts vs short notes? thread days? live sessions? are they consistent or sporadic?
how to capture it: log frequency (like “mon/wed/fri, 2-3 min reads + 1 short note”). note consistency over 30-90 days.
this sets realistic expectations so you don’t burn out trying to match someone who’s been posting daily for 3 years, or under-post because you think once a week is enough when the algorithm rewards daily.
monetization: where the money flows
what to look for: where the money actually flows. is it paid tiers, low-ticket products, services, courses, sponsorships, or community? what’s free vs paid? how do they transition from free to paid?
how to capture it: write down the entry offer, the price, and the first upsell. click their links. note what happens after you opt in.
this is the plumbing, not the paint. you need to understand how successful creators actually make money on this platform, not just what their content looks like.
offer: what they actually sell
what to look for: the concrete thing they sell. what’s the promise in one line? who is it for? what outcome and timeline do they emphasize? any bonuses or community elements? how do they frame the transformation?
how to capture it: summarize the offer in one sentence. grab the exact phrasing of their promise. collect 1-2 testimonials that reveal the real job-to-be-done.
this helps you understand not just what people sell, but how they talk about what they sell. the language that converts on this platform.
paid peek: what’s behind the curtain
what to look for: buy something small (or join a paid tier) to see onboarding, delivery, and early value. watch the welcome flow, the first 72 hours of communication, and how they make you feel as a customer.
how to capture it: note the welcome email subject line, the layout of the first paid post/module, the timing of the next touchpoint, and any surprise/delight moments.
this is the stuff you can’t see from the feed. how do they actually deliver value? what does the experience feel like? this teaches you the mechanics no one posts about.
tenure: how long they’ve been at it
what to look for: how long they’ve been building on this platform. did they explode in 6 months or compound over 3 years? are you comparing your day 1 to their year 4?
how to capture it: scroll to their earliest posts/videos. write the start date and one observation on how their work evolved.
this calibrates your patience and reduces the dumb pressure we all put on ourselves to get results immediately.
how i ran this last wednesday (the real example)
i was feeling restless after dinner, scrolling through substack after I moved everything here.
first thing i did after setting up my account was checking the charts to see who the biggest creators are in my niche and then the rising bestsellers list as well. i was trying to figure out how they show up, what they write about, and ultimately to become their student from afar and super fan of their work.
i picked 8 writers to study. some with hundreds of thousands of subscribers, some with just a few thousand but growing fast.
here’s what i learned in that hour:
their vibe is way more conversational than i expected. most successful substack writers in my space aren’t trying to sound like experts.
they sound like smart friends sharing what they’ve learned. they use simple language, tell personal stories, and always land on something practical you can actually use.
their cadence is surprisingly consistent. most post 2-3 times per week, usually the same days. they mix longer pieces (1200-1800 words) with shorter notes (200-400 words). the ones growing fastest reply to almost every comment.
their monetization is straightforward. paid tiers between $5-15/month with annual discounts. they usually give away 80% of their best stuff for free and reserve the paid tier for deeper dives, community access, or more personal content.
their offers are simple. “weekly insights on [specific thing] to help [specific person] [specific outcome].” no fancy frameworks or complex promises. just clear value for a clear audience.
the paid peek was the most valuable part. i picked someone with a $7/month paid tier.
nothing fancy, just wanted to see how they onboard new subscribers. their welcome email was one paragraph, friendly but not salesy.
their first paid post was 800 words, not 3000. they asked questions at the end of every post to encourage replies. small stuff, but you can’t see any of that from the outside.
their tenure varied wildly. some had been writing for 3+ years before they hit their stride. others found their voice in 6 months. but all of them started simple and evolved their style over time rather than trying to be perfect from day one.
what this changes for you
when you run this scan before you start posting, everything shifts.
you stop imitating surface aesthetics and start copying systems that actually work.
your first posts stop trying to prove your worth and start testing what resonates with this specific audience on this specific platform.
you understand where money flows before you try to make some, so you’re not guessing about monetization later.
you pick a cadence that compounds rather than burns you out because you know what’s realistic and sustainable.
you stop comparing your week 1 to someone’s year 5 because you understand the actual timeline for building something meaningful.
most importantly, you give yourself permission to start small and learn fast instead of trying to transfer all your offline credibility in one perfect post.
the setup (so you actually do it)
create a simple spreadsheet with columns: creator • vibe (3 words) • cadence • monetization • offer (1-line) • paid peek notes • tenure
shortlist 8-13 creators: 5-10 “established” players and 3 “rising” voices
time box to 60 minutes. imperfect > undone. speed is part of the learning.
don’t turn this into an mba project. don’t collect 100 screenshots and never make a decision. don’t study aesthetics (fonts, colors) instead of engines (offers, cadence).
do buy something small. do take notes on what surprises you. do pay attention to behavior and money, not just vibes.
credentials off. curiosity on.