13 Reasons Why: Substack Will Change Your Life
Why Writing on Substack is One of the Smartest Moves You Can Make
If you're someone who's still hesitant to take your Substack seriously , maybe you're unsure if it'll be worth it or afraid it might end up feeling pointless this article is for you.
First, let me say this: writing, in general has no downside.
Best-case scenario? You hit your goals: whether that's building a personal brand, writing a book, selling your work, or just becoming a better writer.
Worst-case scenario? You spent time doing something you enjoy… and even improved your craft.
Not a bad trade-off either way.
If you don’t want to read the whole thing, here’s a quick breakdown:
TL;DR: Why Writing on Substack is One of the Smartest Moves You Can Make
Build your value — personally and professionally. Writing sharpens your skills, deepens your character, and gives you something to show when opportunity knocks.
Leverage your work. You own your content. It builds your brand, grows your network, and creates a direct marketing channel - for free.
Develop technical skills. You’ll learn sales, marketing, software navigation, data analysis, and even how to use AI tools effectively.
And yes, you can monetize. Whether now or later, your writing can earn.
You don’t need to be good. You need to start writing. You will inevitably get good, even great, later.
Let’s get right into these Reasons Why doing Substack Will Change your life.
1. It Develops Your Writing Skills
Writing is one of the best skills to develop in today’s world, as everything moves online.
Have you ever wondered why everyone wants to be an author?
or Every CEO is writing a book ?
or Why Medium is getting crowded day by day ?
Yes, because writing is fun and fulfilling. But it’s more than that.
Writing especially when done consistently builds influence and authority.
These people recognize that fact, and it’s why they are jumping on it from left and right.
Now, why would you write in Substack when you can just write in a journal? Wouldn’t that improve your skills as well?
Yes and no.
Most times when we hear the word writing, we think of something like assembling good-sounding words into profound sentences good set of vocabularies and great grammar skills.
And yes, you can be better at writing privately when your writing means those things.
But writing as the ability to connect with other minds is something that can only be done through practice in public
Writing that can actually achieve authority and influence.
A kind of writing that Substack can give you.
2. Teaches you Sales
Hear me out first.
I know some of you might not be interested in selling anything. And yes, if you are selling, this applies directly to you.
But, chances are you’re already doing some form of sales without realizing it.
And it’s even better if you plan to sell something in the future because by simply showing up and writing on Substack, you’ll start learning the fundamentals of sales in the process.
There’s a famous sales framework called LAPS: Leads, Appointments, Presentations, and Sales.
LAPS in Sales
Leads: Capture attention by sharing quick, interesting ideas to attract potential customers.
Appointments: Engage interested leads more deeply to build a relationship.
Presentations: Showcase your expertise and the full value of your offer to convince leads.
Sales: Close the deal convert interested prospects into paying customers
LAPS translated into substack
Leads: On Substack, Notes help you generate leads by sharing short-form content that grabs readers’ attention and encourages them to check out your profile.
Appointments: Now that someone has shown interest, you need to engage with them more deeply, and that’s the job of your Articles.
Presentations: Now that they have read your article and are convinced you offer some value, you show them that you are an expert or you do good stuff around what you’re writing about. This is the job of your Content Library, your presentation of the whole value you offer and content to encourage them to take action.
Sales: Subscription means you’ve successfully made a sale.
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3. Teaches You Marketing
If you want to be a successful writer on Substack, you’ll need to be able to market yourself effectively.
You will have to learn strategies on how to promote yourself and your work.
This means optimizing your profile, crafting a bio that converts visitors into subscribers, designing your site layout, logo, welcome email, and guest or cross-posting efforts all little marketing wins you do yourself.
Doing this solo helps you learn deeply and sharpen your pattern recognition about what works.
4. Enhances Software Skills
Substack itself is software, a mix of newsletter, blogging, and social media platforms.
If you can do well Substack, you’ll probably do well on Medium, Mailchimp, ConvertKit, or X (formerly Twitter).
Navigating it gives you an edge in managing a wide range of other platforms later.
You’ll also be encouraged to use other tools like Notion, Google Calendar, Todoist, for planning and managing your content.
If you’re not tech-savvy, that’s okay. But knowing these tools is a huge advantage especially as your publication grows and you are managing a lot of different components.
If you’re starting though you don’t have to worry about any of those.
5. Knowledge to Use AI Tools
AI is controversial but undeniably powerful.
Writers who use AI tools effectively will outperform those who don’t.
Why?
The main advantage is speed: imagine two equally skilled writers, but one finishes in half the time they will produce more content and reach more people.
However, no AI can make your writing better if you don’t already know how to write well.
If you plan to write consistently on Substack for a long time, the workload will eventually consume you if you move too slowly.
Writing on Substack will encourage you to learn AI to streamline your process you’ll start integrating it little by little.
But.
Don’t rely on AI for things you can’t do yourself. You still need to practice and get good first.
Then, the small tasks you do repeatedly can be delegated to technology, like AI.
AI is a tool not something to replace you.
6. Data Analysis Skills and… Just Data
Substack offers detailed analytics if you head to the publisher’s dashboard, you’ll find tons of tools for analysis, stats, audience insights, and more.
If you’re determined to up your game, you’ll need to learn how to interpret this data and use it to your advantage.
You can track referrals, traffic sources, email stats, subscribers, views, recommendations, and much more.
And data doesn’t only mean numbers there’s also qualitative data you can use to level up yourself and your content, like: feedback from comments, retweets, and DMs.
This helps you improve your pattern recognition—learning to spot what works, what doesn’t, and what needs fixing.
Aside from enhancing your ability to interpret data, Substack also gives you actual data you can use for whatever path you pursue in the future.
You'll learn:
What you do better than others
What things people naturally gravitate toward
Where the market gaps are
What works well in specific categories
How to structure certain types of content effectively
Honestly, it goes on and on.
Even if you decide to shift focus or try something different in the future, the data you’ve gathered on Substack will still be valuable.
It gives you insights about your audience, content performance, and market trends that can inform and guide your next steps no matter what direction you take.
7. It Increases Your Value as an Individual
In a typical career, you do everything you can to increase your value as an employee so you can get hired.
You study at university, maybe get a master’s or a PhD, then another PhD, gain years of experience, attend seminars and training, investing time, money, and resources.
You achieve your goal and become a highly specialized, valuable employee.
Writing on Substack is similar but with one key difference: you're not just a valuable employee, you become a valuable individual with diverse skills and the powerful ability to write.
But these things aren’t mutually exclusive you can absolutely do both I am not saying to trade your career to be a writer here. I have a full-time job right now as a microbiologist, and I’m also in the process of applying for a master’s in Microbiology.
Where you take your writing journey is entirely up to you. Whether you want to be a big-shot writer, a solopreneur, or just a regular person sharing your thoughts, the possibilities are open.
When opportunity knocks, you’ll have something real to show: your work. You are a writer.
You can mention your Substack on job applications and in interviews—“I’ve been writing here” which sparks conversations and shows your skills.
When someone says they’re a writer, it immediately signals skills, experience, and talent. That makes you a valuable individual.
Honestly, when someone introduces themselves as a writer, I automatically think they’re pretty cool.
8. It Develops Your Character
Writing and surviving on Substack demands mental strength, confidence, patience, and endurance.
Consistent writing demands discipline and effective time management two very crucial life skills you’'ll be able to acquire here.
Like any content platform, the real game on Substack is longevity.
It doesn’t matter if you have the potential to be the next J.K. Rowling without resilience to keep going, it won’t happen.
Your days won’t be rainbows and butterflies and every one of those days will drill the importance of showing up for yourself into your brain.
The mental strength you gain in this journey will shape your character and positively affects other parts of your life.
9. Helps You Own Long-term Assets
Everything you write on Substack is yours — a lasting asset you fully own and control.
Know Mark Manson? His bestselling book The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fck* started as a blog.
Every post you publish here holds the potential to grow into something bigger — a book, a course, a business, or a brand.
Even your email list is a long-term asset and so is the name you're building here. Both grow in value over time.
You’re not just writing for today. You’re building a library of assets you can shape into anything you want in the future.
Don’t let your Ideas just be thoughts, destined to be forgotten, when you can share it and be amplified.
10. Help you Build a Personal Brand
People Follow People, Not Institutions
There’s a rising trend: people trust people more than brands.
They listen to the person in charge not the company’s marketing team.
CEOs are becoming YouTubers. TikTok creators are launching businesses. Personal brands now matter more than ever.
This is why writing on Substack is so powerful.
It builds influence and authority not just for today, but for everything you might create in the future.
Your Substack becomes a platform to market yourself and your work.
People want connection. A personal brand gives them that.
11. Helps You Build Your Network Faster and Bigger
A Networking Tool That Scales
The internet lets you connect with people you'd never meet otherwise, people across the globe.
Your content becomes a powerful networking tool, often more effective than in-person events.
At an event, you might meet ten people. On Substack, your writing can reach hundreds or thousands.
Your audience is a major part of your network, and content is a networking toolarguably the most powerful one there is.
You’ll also be able to attract peers who are ahead of you (who you can learn from) and those behind you (who you can help).
It’s also one of the best ways to find like-minded people walking the same path.
For example, if you're passionate about gut health, there are dozens of other writers here exploring the same topic people you can connect with, learn from, and build something alongside.
12. Lets You Own Your Audience
Have you noticed how company websites always ask for your email?
That’s because email (Newsletter) is one of the most powerful marketing tools right now.
With so much mass-produced content and information being thrown at everyone, people are craving something personal: Something that is TAILORED FOR THEM , not for EVERYONE. On Substack, you own that channel.
Every subscriber is someone who chose to hear from you.
No algorithms. No middlemen. Just a direct, personal line of communication between you and your audience.
This is gold especially if you're a creator or business owner. It saves you thousands on ads, lets you test ideas instantly, and gives you a loyal base to launch anything from books to courses to physical products.
And even if you're not selling anything right now, that audience is a long-term asset. You’re building trust, connection, and credibility that can open doors later whether that’s new collaborations, job opportunities, or future creative projects.
The hard part isn’t just getting subscribers. It’s earning their trust.
That takes time, consistency, and honesty.
But once you do, you’re not just writing you’re building a community that grows with you..
13. A Chance to Make Your Love for Writing more Sustainable
Substack gives you more than just a space to write, it offers multiple ways to earn from your work.
And earning from your craft is nothing to be ashamed of. We’re human beings who spend time, energy, and sometimes even money on the things we create here.
To keep going, the work we do needs to replenish the resources we’ve spent otherwise, burnout is inevitable.
I’ll share the basic ways you can earn money through your writing—no deep dive for now, maybe another time.
Paid Subscriptions – Offer premium content to readers who pay monthly or yearly.
Digital Products – Sell eBooks, templates, guides, or courses to your audience.
Community Access – Use Subscriber Chat to build a tight-knit, loyal community.
Services – Promote coaching, consulting, editing, or freelance offers.
Donations – Let readers support your work directly, no strings attached.
Monetization doesn’t have to mean “selling out”, it means being rewarded for the value you bring. Substack makes that possible in a way that’s authentic and aligned with your style.
A Final Note from the Author:
I’ve never once regretted pouring my energy into Substack, the same energy I could’ve wasted on endless scrolling or doing something random just to kill time.
In the 7 months I’ve been active here (9 but I took a 2-month break in between), this space has genuinely changed me. I’m a different person now: happier, more productive, and maybe even a little wiser.
☕ Found my work helpful?
Feel free to buy me a coffee every bit of support helps fuel the hours (and caffeine!) that go into creating these resources. Nonetheless, I appreciate you being here.
Thank you so much for taking your time to read It means a lot!🧡
- Frey.
🎉 Launching Soon: The Premium Handbook for Substack Writers!
The first part of my new MASTERING SUBSTACK series is here—focused on the #1 skill every writer needs: The Matsery of the Main Content forms in Substack
Learn how to make the most of Substack Articles, Notes, and Subscriber Chat with a practical, database-driven guide full of:
✅ Bite-sized lessons
✅ Copy/paste frameworks
✅ Visual examples
✅ Strategic checklists
✅ Real platform know-how
Whether you’re writing posts, building engagement, or running community chats this guide helps you do it with purpose.
🚀 Join the waitlist below to get early access + exclusive bonuses. And keep an eye out more parts of this series are dropping soon!
There’s no shortcut to success—but this is your shortcut to learning. 🔥
Only a few spots left on the exclusive waitlist!
📚 Summary of Contents:
✍️ Part 1: Mastering the Substack Article
✅What makes an article valuable + how to write with purpose
✅Craft click-worthy titles (roles, tips, examples)
✅Maximize your sumtitles
✅Keep readers engaged till the end
✅Use every Substack editing tool effectively (headings, buttons, paywalls, images, etc.)
✅The ultimate article checklist to build with confidence
🗒️ Part 2: Mastering Substack Notes
✅ How are Notes so Powerful
✅ 3 core goals of powerful Notes
✅MASTER FRAMEWORK — Theme × Structure × Principle
✅Use Substack’s Note tools efficiently
✅ Keep ideas flowing consistently
✅Know when to post Notes and why it matters
💬 Part 3: Mastering Subscriber Chat
✅Why Chat is valuable + what it helps you develop as a Writer and How does it help the Readers: Principles you can build on for your own strategy
✅Subscriber Chat Strategy Framework (access, support, community, daily content, offers, etc.)
✅How to plan weekly Chat sessions that align with your goals
Up Next: The Bottleneck of Subsack: How to get Unstuck.
Sometimes we think we’re stuck but we’re really just standing at the entryway to a new level.
In this article, I’ll walk you through 6 common bottlenecks that show up on Substack, why they matter, and how to know which one you’re in.
See you there!
HAPPY WRITING!😊
Great writing! Thanks for making the time.
Excellent post. Helpful beyond.