Substack is not Instagram

Lately I’ve noticed a lot of folks posting “connect with me,” “let’s add each other,” and “support small writers” notes. That’s Instagram energy — not Substack energy.

Here’s why:

On Instagram, follow-for-follow creates the illusion of growth. You rack up numbers, but most people never engage beyond the first click. Substack doesn’t reward vanity metrics like that. A new connection doesn’t equal a new reader, and it definitely doesn’t equal a new subscriber.

Substack rewards substance. Readers subscribe when they feel something — when your words resonate, when your stories linger, when your posts solve a problem or spark an emotion. You don’t need 500 mutual “connections” to get there. You need content that people can’t forget.

So instead of posting another “let’s connect” note, maybe write the post you’d want someone to stumble on and think: this is exactly what I needed to read today.

That’s how connection actually converts.