How I grew from zero to “bestseller” in 5 weeks
Including the blueprint for how I launched this Substack
Hello friends and welcome to part two of this two-part feature about my first month (or so) on Substack, the highs and lows of becoming a “bestseller” and how I did it in five weeks.
Here are the two parts of this two-parter:
Substack can be cruel but here’s why I love it - musings and stats at 5 weeks and “hundreds” of supporters (published yesterday, free to read)
How I grew from zero to “bestseller” in 5 weeks
In today’s part two I cover the exact approach I took to launching this venture, much of which can be applied to any new project you might have on the horizon, whether on Substack or beyond. Or even if you are already someway into one.
There’s quite a lot here (a longer post than usual) and it may seem a little daunting, but it’s doable. If I can do it, anyone can.
I hope you enjoy this post. As always, thank you for being here and see you down in the comments section.
How I grew from zero to “bestseller” in 5 weeks
I am a thorough and methodical worker, a planner. I like to get elements just right - or close enough - before starting something. I like to do my research, absorb information, set myself goals, stick to a timeline and (paradoxically?) take my time.
I am analytical. My most used type of Google doc is a spreadsheet. My brainstorms are word clouds rather than vision boards. I am also, often to my detriment, a perfectionist (an undesirable trait). It’s all about the details and it’s easy for me to spend too much time on the things that most would not even notice.
Others work in very different ways. Perhaps flying by the seat of their pants, going from idea inception to releasing it into the wild within just a few hours or days. They prefer to ship the work as soon as possible, learning on the job and making amendments as they go.
All approaches are valid. However…
It pays to reign the eagerness in long enough to give a new venture some space for forethought, especially if you are hoping for success. As the adage goes, “fail to prepare and you are preparing to fail”.
When it comes to Substack, you could simply write, press publish, repeat every so often and do nothing more. You will get subscribers, maybe even paid ones. But progress will be slow and not seeing results can lead to a lack of motivation to continue.
Or, you could get clear on where it is you want to go, what you need to do to get there, and then follow it. This is what I did and doing so has helped me gain the bestseller status in just five weeks.
A word of warning: the following takes time and effort. It was a lot of work, it’s ongoing work. But I enjoy it. And nothing worth doing was ever easy or happened overnight. What I’m sharing in this post is what I did that worked for me.
Some will gawp at it and run a mile, my approach won’t be for everyone. And just because it worked for me doesn’t mean it will work for you. But hopefully it will give you some ideas of what could.
Here’s how I grew A Day Well Spent from zero to “bestseller” in 5 weeks.