How Build Your Writing Library - Easy to Follow Frameworks for Teaching-Style
Want to write—and actually get paid for it? Read this (Part 3).
In the first two parts, we covered the foundation of teaching through writing:
Part 1 focused on the mindset shift that lets you get paid for your writing, even if you’re not an “expert.”
Part 2 showed how to pick topics you love, spot patterns, and structure your content for maximum impact—covering everything from workflow hacks to headlines, tone, and subcategories that highlight your unique angle.
Now, in Part 3, we’ll focus on structures you can use right away while you discover your own style and way of connecting with your audience.
Having a structure from the start is important: it makes writing faster, reduces decision fatigue, and keeps your process sustainable.
Later on, as you experiment and refine, you can develop your unique approach but for now, I’ll share what’s been working for me so you can get going without overthinking.
These are how to format teaching-style posts that I’ve used in some of my best-performing articles here on Substack:
In summary, her’sa quick and simple simple outline to keep things clear and engaging:
✅ Start with a hook.
Open with a transformation or relief from a common pain point.
✅ Clarify who it’s for.
Let the reader know early—this is for you if you’re feeling lost, stuck, new, etc.
✅ Share your experience.
Talk about what you’ve tried, learned, or are still figuring out.
✅ Break it down.
Give clear steps, tools, or frameworks. Show your thinking.
✅ End with a prompt.
Wrap up with a takeaway, question, or next step your reader can try.
Now let’s look at what formats you can use to capture and retain your readers’ attention, where you can plug in these basic parts.
🧬 What Teaching Formats Work Best
1. Tactical, System-Based Writing
Practical guides that walk people through a repeatable system.
Examples: "Substack Maintenance," "Article Pipeline"
What makes it work: Clear titles, actionable breakdowns, often evergreen.
2. Narrative-Driven Teaching
Teaching through story, not advice.
Examples: "Writing Was a Mistake," "60 Days of Writing"
What makes it work: Builds trust, invites empathy, and naturally transitions to insight.
3. Meta Insight + Reader Mindset
Helps readers reframe how they see writing and platform strategy.
Examples: "13 Reasons Why Substack Will Change Your Life," "How to Be Lucky on Substack"
What makes it work: Opinionated, often quotable, and gets readers to think differently.
To make things even easier, I’ve I have also included frameworks with clear parts where you can simply plug in your ideas and get started right away.
📝 Teaching Frameworks That Show Up Repeatedly
A. "Step-by-Step Breakdown"
Structure:
Define the problem.
Show your system/solution.
Bonus tips/tools.
End with encouragement or next action.
Effective for: workflow content, writing systems, time management.
B. "Reflection ➔ System ➔ Lesson"
Structure:
Honest personal experience.
What it taught you.
How readers can apply it.
Closing insight or CTA.
Effective for: hybrid stories + teaching.
C. "Framework-as-Takeaway"
Structure:
Bust a myth or highlight a common problem.
Introduce your framework (list, levels, stages).
Explain each part.
Invite the reader to try it.
Effective for: establishing thought leadership.
And After Writing Tons? Here’s What to Do:
Organize Your Library
Collect your existing articles, drafts, and notes.
Group them by topic or theme so readers can easily follow a learning path.
Pro tip: You can even create a guide, a table of contents, or a database, whatever you want to call it that organizes all your articles by topic (or any grouping you choose).
For example, here’s one I made, and here’s another example from How to Write for a Living.
Plenty of other Substack writers do this as well to help their readers especially new ones find resources more easily.
And if someone isn’t subscribed yet, it might even convince them to join by showing off everything you’ve already published.
Monetize Your Content
Decide which posts to paywall on Substack.
Consider turning a high-performing topic into a detailed guide, course, or PDF resource.
Leverage Your Expertise
Identify areas where you can offer consulting or coaching.
Reach out to potential clients or promote your expertise through your newsletter.
Explore sponsorships with brands relevant to your niche.
Build a Paid Community
Set up a subscriber-only community on Substack or another platform.
Offer exclusive content, Q&A sessions, or workshops to engage paying members.
Use Platform Tools Efficiently
Track your top-performing posts using analytics.
Use Substack’s subscriber and monetization features to manage payments, community access, and newsletters.
Iterate and Improve
Pay attention to feedback and engagement metrics.
Refine your content, offers, and community based on what your audience responds to most.
That’s all for now, see you in the next one!
Want to go deeper?
Subscribe for free to join my subscriber-only chat—now with a new weekly format to help you stay consistent and connected.
Every week, you’ll get:
✅ My 3-2-1 check-ins (goals, challenges, wins)
✍️ Creative prompts to spark ideas
📣 A space to promote your work
🌟 Feature Friday shout-outs
🤝 Honest support on wins and struggles
Plus: behind-the-scenes drafts, content tips, and everything I’m learning as I go.
Let’s grow together—one post at a time. 🚀
UP NEXT:
The best way to keep going as a writer is to have a clear vision—actually two:
End vision: What you ultimately want to create or achieve.
Next-step vision: What to focus on right now to move toward that goal.
Without them, it’s easy to feel stuck or lost. In the next issue, we’ll help you clarify both visions and give a practical, step-by-step roadmap to turn your writing into meaningful, monetizable products—complete with prompts and examples to take action immediately.
💡Subscribe now to get notified when the next parts drop.💡
📥 Still Available:
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Most Substack writers early in their journey, somewhere between 50 to 200 subscribers, struggle with a few common things:
Drowning in advice, but not sure where to start
Learning a lot, but not applying it consistently
Publishing, but not knowing if it’s working or just leading to burnoutI created a Premium Handbook for writers in that exact stage.
It’s filled with principles, tools, and frameworks to help you master the three core content types on Substack: Articles, Notes, and Subscriber Chat.
If you want clarity, structure, and something that moves you forward, check it out below.
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Gear up during the slow Substack summer — so you’re ready when September’s high season hits and the internet wakes back up.
That’s all for today!. I appreciate you so much for reading up until here! 😊 If you think this article could help someone, feel free to share it or like it it really helps expand its reach to help others as well. 💌