Substack won’t help you the way you think it will.

👋 Welcome back to Content to Commas, the weekly playbook for creatorpreneurs and founders who want to monetize their content and build authority.

I’m not writing this to drag Substack.

I’m writing it because I keep hearing the same sentence on calls:

“I want to start a Substack” or “People are telling me to start a Substack”

Substack has become the default answer people give when they don’t know what to do with their ideas.

It feels calmer, less performative, less loud.

That’s exactly why so many are walking into the same trap. They think Substack is a business model.

It isn’t. It’s a channel.

And when you confuse the two, you end up working very hard for very polite applause.

📌 In this issue:

Let’s get to work.

— Brandon

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The dream Substack sells, without ever saying it outright, goes something like this…

What actually happens for most writers looks different.

Substack isn’t lying to you but it is letting you lie to yourself.

The core issue is the monetization model itself.

A paid subscription isn’t a compliment. It’s a behavior.

People pay monthly when something makes them money, saves time, removes pain, or replaces a real need. Most people do not pay monthly because they enjoy someone’s idea, even if the writing is good.

That makes subscriptions one of the hardest ways to monetize writing.

Click enough Substack profiles and the pattern is obvious … strong free numbers & weak paid numbers.

I’ve seen creators hit 8,000 or even 13,000 subscribers in months, with paid hovering around 200. Different niches. Same outcome.

At $10 a month, 200 paid subscribers is $2,000 per month before fees and taxes. If you’re publishing multiple times a week and staying active on Notes, that’s a part-time job paying like a hobby.

The popular “3–5% conversion” stat hides the real story.

That range only works when the audience already buys things online and the writing shortens a clear path to money or relief. For many writers, the real number is closer to 0.5–1%.

At 10,000 subscribers, 1% paid is $1,000 a month. Not nothing. But far from the full-time narrative people expect.

Substack works best as a discovery and trust engine

Use it to test ideas, build depth, and meet people who would never have found you otherwise. But don’t make subscriptions your only buying moment.

Subscriptions should be a byproduct of trust, not the first ask.

A healthier model is to treat Substack as a bridge.

A template. A workshop. A simple service. A sponsor slot. One clear offer you control.

Paid subscribers become a bonus, not the foundation.

Substack isn’t the villain. The story around it is.

Your writing deserves better than vibes and breadcrumbs. If Substack feels good, use it. Just don’t confuse comfort with a business.

This is how you turn words into commas.

Don’t take my word for it, run the numbers.

total subscribers, paid subscribers, monthly revenue, hours per week.

Calculate your effective hourly rate.

Decide what you want Substack to be: a hobby, a side income, or a real business line.

Substack can support all three. The problem is pretending you’re building a business while operating like a hobby.

If subscription revenue is flat after 60 days, don’t write more posts. Fix the model. More writing won’t solve a broken plan.

If you are serious about writing, I think Beehiiv, Kit, or Flodesk might be a better long-term strategy with using Substack as an extension or replacement for Threads or X.

Each week, I share simple tips on branding, making money, growth strategies, and useful tools that you might have missed. You can catch up in just a few minutes.

The stack I keep coming back to in my own business.

The gear I actually use to capture clean, usable content without overthinking it.

These posts did numbers for a reason. Worth a reread.