How to make Substack a real path to revenue [in the new age of Substack]
+ pressure tested by our clients [and ourselves]
quick summary ⚡️
Why our clients [brands and people] are still winning on Substack in spite of the rush of new creators on the platform
Cultural Gems: YouTuber and Gen Z icon Trisha Paytas finally makes it to the mainstream, video is dominating LinkedIn whether you like it or not [+ how to maximize your time spent on it] and more
Trying to get ahead without a personal brand? Good luck… [don’t worry, we have cringe-free tips to help]
On January 18th, Substack hit #1 in the App Store. Did you help put it there?
If you read this newsletter regularly, you probably know that we love Substack.
In the wake of the TikTok ban, creators and users alike flocked to Substack in search of community and connection. It wasn’t just writers or marketers embracing the platform, scrollers, swipers, and creators of all kinds turned to Substack to fill the void. What was once 'everyone has a podcast' has become 'everyone has a Substack.' And while TikTok is back up and running [for now 👀], its future remains uncertain. One thing’s clear: in 2025, Substack has cemented itself as the go-to platform for creators building their own space.
Substack’s secret sauce? It actually helps creators make money, unlike certain other platforms [looking at you, Instagram]. Case in point: one Substacker snagged 20,000 followers in three months, proving it’s not just hype.
The company announced last fall that there were more than 4 million paid subscriptions to publications and podcasts on Substack. In a New York Times story published the same day, the company revealed that “in the politics and news categories, more than 30 publishers earn at least $1 million annually.”
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Lucky for most of us, you don’t need to write about politics to do well on Substack. It’s worth a shot if you want any of these things:
✔️High quality audience [millennials with high purchase intent]
✔️New opportunities to foster community [right in someone’s inbox]
✔️Fresh collaborators [who you might not encounter elsewhere]
✔️Multimedia posting [features now include podcasting, live video, etc]
The thing with Substack, though, is that it can be a bit more intimidating than some of the other platforms. Especially when you ask people to pay for your work, a much higher level of quality is expected. Plus, as the Wall Street Journal put it recently, writers are having to also become their own sales reps as Substack attracts the attention of marketers.
At M.T. Deco, we’ve been publishing on Substack for a couple of years and built a small but mighty community [we 🫶 you!] that has given us the confidence to expand into the paid space. Simultaneously, we’ve helped clients launch on the platform, and with huge success [*cough
cough*].Here’s why you need this: every month, we drop a brand-new guide AND update all existing ones with the latest intel straight from the platforms. Think of it as your always-up-to-date cheat sheet for Substack, LinkedIn, Instagram, and more. Real creators and marketers are using these to grow smarter and faster. Want in? Upgrade to premium and get the full suite—no FOMO allowed.
It’s worth noting that Substack is no stranger to controversy, and competitors [beehiiv, Ghost] have popped up and capitalized off some of that. We’d love to hear from our readers using other platforms! Send us a note about your experience to hello@mtdecoagency.com.
Additional MTD resources:
How individuals can build audience and make money through newsletters
How Patreon, Substack or even OnlyFans could fit into your digital strategy
💎cultural gems💎
The cultural moments and news that caught our attention this week:
🎭 TRISHA PAYTAS’S MEME COME TRUE, the cut
“For years, the YouTuber was something of a professional provocateur, going viral for self-identifying as a chicken nugget or cosplaying as Ice Spice or wondering if dogs have brains. Recently, however, she’s undergone a career resurgence, signing with CAA, appearing in a Katy Perry music video, and making a cameo with Bowen Yang on Saturday Night Live.”
🛠 SOMETIMES, YOU JUST NEED TO TAKE A BREAK AND WATCH A GUY UNCLOG A DRAIN, npr
“For me, it creates this fundamental sense that doing work can matter. A thing is not just a problem because it's a problem; it's a problem because something is wrong, and sometimes you can go out there and try to work on it yourself.”
🤪 DUCK POUTS AND RAWR FACES: HOW FACIAL EXPRESSIONS BECAME TRENDS, dazed magazine
“The absurdity of the duckface pout was telling of a time where social presentations online weren’t taken too seriously. In the same way, Gen Z’s parodying smirks complement their irony-clad captions and self-referential reposts.”
🎥 LINKEDIN’S BIG BET ON TIKTOK-STYLE VIDEO IS PAYING OFF IN A BIG WAY, fast company
“Short-form video is now the fastest-growing category on LinkedIn, growing at twice the rate of other post formats on the platform. According to LinkedIn, total video viewership surged 36% in the first quarter of 2025.”
if you’re looking to further optimize your LinkedIn content, check out our strategy guide here.
breaking through the noise and marketing BS on social
When it comes to content creation, one of the best ways you can stand out, tap into a community and ultimately drive growth is by building your niche.
Leaning into a niche [subculture or aesthetic] - or several of them - allows you to focus your content and allows your audience to know what to expect from you.
Once you have your niche figured out, be ready to focus. Whether you’re just starting out or want to grow your existing audience, you need to mentally prepare yourself for a marathon not a sprint. Creating something new and refining it to the best it can be takes time, patience, and consistency.
more guidance on how to build a personal brand here