How I Built My Brand on Substack From Zero in 6 Months

What clarity, consistency, and courage actually look like in practice

I get a lot of emails, DMs, and comments asking for the “secret” to my Substack growth. People see the numbers, nearly 4,000 subscribers in six months, and assume there’s a magic bullet.

Let me be clear: there isn’t. It’s a daily grind. It’s a commitment to clarity and consistency. It’s a courageous act of putting your voice out there, day after day.

Many of the big names on Substack had a head start. They migrated massive email lists, brought over a following from other platforms, or were already established thought leaders. This guide isn’t for them.

And then there are the Substackers who are selling you how to grow on Substack. They gain a following because they are teaching people how to grow on the platform. That’s also not me. I’m writing this because a lot of people trying to build their personal brand here have reached out asking how I did it, and it’s more efficient to lay it all out in one place than reply individually.

This is for the writer starting from zero, the creator with a powerful message but no platform. This is the playbook I used to build my brand from the ground up, and it’s the one you can use to build yours. I’ve broken it down into three distinct actionable parts.

Part 1: The Courage of Clarity - Defining Your Brand

Before you even think about posting, you need to get radically clear on your brand. This is the foundation upon which everything else is built. It’s not about picking a niche; it’s about claiming your territory.