I interviewed 3 successful Substack writers who grew from 0 to 65K — here’s what I stole from them (and it actually worked)

Behind-the-Scenes with 3 Top Substack Bestsellers

[Want to grow your Substack newsletter from zero to thousands of readers? I interviewed three successful Substack writers who built audiences from 0 to 65K subscribers. Their growth strategies changed how I write, publish, and promote my work and here’s what I learned (and used) to grow my own Substack.]

It started as a simple idea.

Since I am running live Write Grow Monetize program, I wanted to learn from those who really know how to grow a Substack newsletter. Not by luck or playing the algorithm game, but by thinking — the mindset, the systems, the decisions behind the scenes.

So I decided to ask the ones who’d already cracked the code. My plan was to interview bestselling Substack writers, people who had built thriving newsletters and turned their words into income, and compile their strategies into an ebook.

I came up with five questions that would reveal what really works on Substack, not the fluffy “just keep writing” advice, but the practical habits, mindset shifts, and repeatable actions that compound into big results.

I sent those questions to several writers I admire. Only three replied.

But they happened to be three of the best.

Meet the 3 Writers Who Grew from 0 to 65K

Veronica Llorca-Smith

Sinem Günel

Ana Calin

.

Each one a Substack bestseller, each one building a thriving business from their words.

Their answers were so rich, so immediately useful, that I scrapped the ebook idea and started applying their strategies myself. And guess what? They worked.

That’s why I’m sharing them here, with you, because these are insights you can apply right away to your own Substack growth.

Over the past few years, I’ve learned that studying successful creators is one of the fastest ways to accelerate your own progress. When you understand how they think, what they focus on, and how they build systems around their writing, something shifts. You stop guessing. You start growing with intention.

And here’s the best part: they’ve already made the mistakes you’re likely to make. Their experience can save you the wasted time, stress, and frustration of figuring it all out alone.

The 5 Questions I Asked

When you want to learn from the best, the key is to ask the right questions.

I wasn’t looking for vague philosophy or recycled “growth hacks.” I wanted the real stuff, the thought process behind the success. The kind of answers that reveal why something works, not just what to do.

So, I asked each of them the same five questions:

1. What pulled you into Substack?
   Because the why often explains the how.

2. Who do you write for, and what do you write about?
   Because clarity of purpose always comes before growth.

3. What are your top three tips for writing, growing, or monetizing?
   Because their answers reveal what truly moves the needle.

4. What’s one surprising thing you’ve learned from publishing consistently?
   Because growth without reflection is just noise.

5. What can people expect from your publication?
   Because every successful writer has a distinct promise.

Each question pulled back a different layer of their success, and the patterns that emerged were too good not to share.

What They Did Differently (and What I Stole)

In this post, I’ll take you behind the scenes of my conversations with these three remarkable writers, distilling their answers, their mindset, and their methods into lessons you can copy, adapt, and make your own.

If you’re reading this as a free subscriber:

1. They Focsed on Power of Community and Reinvention

The first person who responded was my mentor and friend, Veronica Llorca-Smith, author of The Lemon Tree Mindset.

In just three years, she’s built a 12,000-strong community on Substack, become a Substack Bestseller, and done it all with a calm professionalism that makes you feel everything’s figure-out-able.

What I admire most about Veronica is her honesty. She’s approachable and open, yet she sticks firmly to her principles. She’s the kind of creator who makes success look steady, not frantic.

Veronica’s journey began with uncertainty.

“The Lemon Tree Mindset was born as a way to find myself in a moment when I was feeling lost. During the pandemic, I was locked abroad with my two daughters, unemployed in a new country. I decided to ditch the corporate world and start my journey as a solopreneur. Back then, I had no idea what that looked like, but I knew I wanted to write and share my story of reinvention to help others.”

That “tiny seed,” as she calls it, grew into a thriving ecosystem. A publication, a book, a coaching business, and a mastermind community.

When asked about her top three tips for writers trying to grow or monetize, Veronica’s advice came distilled and clear:

1. Focus on helping, not selling. “Be very clear on whom you want to serve and how you can add value to them,” she said. “When you focus and write to one person, it’s easier to reach them with your words.”

2. Don’t do it alone. “Together we run further.” Her collaborations — guest posts, joint live sessions, and interviews — have been key to her steady growth.

3. Think community, not newsletter. “Many writers struggle because they treat Substack as a one-way channel. I encourage my clients to think bigger, to build a real community where people connect, collaborate, and belong.”

That last point, I think, is Veronica’s secret sauce.
She doesn’t chase numbers. She nurtures relationships. Her readers don’t just subscribe; they stay.

And here’s something she said that’s stayed with me:

“Publishing consistently has become instrumental for my mental health. It keeps me grounded and focused. From a business perspective, it builds loyalty over time. Trust is a long-term game.”

The lesson I stole from Veronica, and it worked beautifully, is this: write for one, build for many, and grow with others.

2. They Used Collaboration as a Growth Strategy

The next creator I reached out to was Sinem Günel, someone I’ve long admired for her clarity and precision when she talks about writing online.

Sinem built her first audience on Medium.com, grew a massive subscriber list on Kit, and then, only eighteen months ago, moved to Substack. But she didn’t do it alone.

Together with two fellow creators, she launched Write • Build • Scale, a publication that now reaches more than 19,000 readers and 800+ paid subscribers. Their success is proof that collaboration can be rocket fuel on Substack.

When I asked what drew her to the platform, she said something that immediately caught my attention:

“Substack isn’t just a writing platform — it drives true connection and community.”

For Sinem, that distinction changes everything. On platforms like Medium, writing is the product. On Substack, writing is the starting point of a relationship.

Her top three tips reflect that mindset perfectly:

1. Don’t treat it as a solo game. “The more you connect and collaborate on Substack, the faster you grow.”

2. Embrace the social side. “Many people resist the idea that Substack is becoming more social, but that’s actually a good thing. More engagement means more visibility and reach.”

3. Tackle one goal at a time. “You can’t do it all — build a course, grow paid, publish five times a week — especially if this is your side project. Focus on quality, not volume.”

But what stood out most was her take on consistency.
Most creators (myself included) talk about it like gospel. Sinem challenges that.

“Consistency isn’t everything,” she said. “I was publishing regularly but not achieving my goals, because I was consistently making the same mistakes.”

It’s a powerful reminder that showing up is only half the equation. What matters is what you do when you show up.

Sinem’s approach is methodical yet flexible. She’s built Write • Build • Scale not on hustle, but on systems ones that reward patience, collaboration, and improvement over perfection.

The lesson I stole from Sinem, and it’s changed how I approach my business is this: don’t just post. Progress.

3. They Turned Clarity into Currency

The third creator I asked these five questions was, Ana Calin, the writer who, in many ways, redefined what “growth content” can look like on Substack.

I’ve been a long-time fan of Ana’s work. She came to Substack after fifteen years in the corporate world, leading brand campaigns, running a creative agency, managing teams. She had followers, reach, recognition. But as she told me, something was missing.

“I wanted to build something deeper. A place where people actually read and cared.”

That line alone explains why she grew so fast. Within her first month on Substack, she had 9,000 subscribers. Six months later: 50,000+ and $150K in revenue.

No ads. No funnels. No gimmicks.
Just clarity, consistency, and connection.

Her newsletter, How We Grow, speaks to the unconventional solopreneurs, creators, founders, and career rebels who want freedom and income. Her voice is direct, honest, and ruthlessly practical.

When I asked for her top three tips, she didn’t hesitate:

1. Don’t chase trends. “People can feel when it’s real.”

2. Have an irresistible offer. “Growth is one thing, conversion is another. You’re not just writing a newsletter; you’re building a business.”

3. Engage like a human. “Reply to comments. Boost others. Give before you ask.”

Ana’s perspective is grounded in both strategy and heart. She understands that writing online isn’t about shouting the loudest, it’s about building trust that compounds.

“You don’t need a viral moment,” she said. “You need a system. Growth isn’t loud. It’s compounding.”

That line should be tattooed on every writer’s Notion board.

Her growth philosophy is simple: systems over chaos, relationships over reach, and action over anxiety.

When you read How We Grow, you feel like you’re sitting across from someone who’s already solved the puzzle, and is now showing you where the missing pieces go.

If Veronica builds community and Sinem builds collaboration, then Ana builds momentum.
And her secret? She turns clarity into currency.

Here’s what I stole from Ana, and immediately applied: before chasing more readers, get clear on your message, your offer, and your system. Growth follows clarity.

That’s exactly where I start in my Write Grow Monetize program — helping writers craft their signature offer.

What These Conversations Taught Me About Growth

Interviewing these three women changed the way I think about writing online.

I started this project curious about tactics, how the best writers on Substack approach consistency, monetization, and growth. But what I discovered was something deeper: their success has less to do with tactics and more to do with alignment.

Here’s what I stole from them — and why it worked.

• From Veronica: Build connection before monetization.
  Veronica treats writing as a relationship, not a broadcast. Growth, for her, is a byproduct of trust and that shift alone changed how I interact with my subscribers.

• From Sinem: Think collaboration, not competition.
  She turned partnerships into her growth engine. Since applying that lesson, I’ve started co-creating with other writers and my reach has quietly multiplied.

• From Ana: Create systems that compound.
  She doesn’t chase viral moments; she builds repeatable processes. I stole that one shamelessly and it’s the reason my own writing now runs on rhythm instead of adrenaline.

They all share one more thing: they see writing as self-development.
Veronica called it her mental anchor. Sinem said improvement matters more than consistency. Ana said growth starts with clarity.

Each one sees writing not just as a career but as a path of evolution.

And here’s what struck me most: every single one of them started exactly where most of us are now with uncertainty, a blank page, and a quiet determination to share something meaningful.

Their stories remind me (and hopefully you too) that you don’t need to go viral to succeed on Substack. You just have to build deliberately.

Write for one. Build for many. Grow with others.

Key Takeaway

Growing a Substack newsletter isn’t about luck or algorithms, it’s about clarity, connection, and consistency. By learning from writers who’ve done it, I’ve seen how simple, human strategies can drive real growth.

This is just the beginning of my 5 Questions series. I plan to continue reaching out to more top Substack writers, distilling their strategies and sharing them here first with my paid subscribers.

Eventually, I’ll turn this into a complete ebook, a field guide to writing and growing on Substack, filled with practical insights from the people who’ve done it best.

But until then, I’d love to hear from you:
Which of these three lessons speaks most to where you are right now?
Are you more of a Veronica (community-first), a Sinem (collaboration-driven), or an Ana (clarity-and-systems)?

Drop your thoughts in the comments. I’ll be there replying, learning, and growing alongside you.

---

That’s all from me today.

As always, thanks for reading.