How I Turned My Substack from $0 to $5k/Month Without a Large Following

???? Join 3400+ Subscribers over on Escape the Cubicle Substack

I've written a recent post on Substack around "How to Build a Six-Figure Newsletter on Substack in 2025." I share how I went from Zero to 3,400+ subscribers and a $5K+ per month operation in less than 6 months...all while posting LESS content and making MORE revenue.

If you'd like to dive into more about this Substack Growth Strategy, check out my recent post on Substack below ??

>> Read "How I'm Building a Six-Figure Newsletter in 2025" on Substack <<

Ever feel like you're screaming into the void with your newsletter? Yeah, I've been there.

Last year, my Substack was a ghost town. A few hundred subscribers, crickets in the comments, and that dreaded $0 revenue. I was doing everything "right" - posting consistently, sharing valuable content, engaging with readers...

But here's the thing: I was playing the wrong game entirely.

Everyone talks about paid subscriptions being the holy grail of Substack success. "Just put your premium content behind a paywall!" they say. "Subscribers will come!"

I tried that. It flopped. Hard. After three months, I had exactly two paid subscribers. Not exactly quit-your-job money.

Then I stumbled onto something way better: Digital products and masterclasses.

The Breakthrough Moment:

One day, I noticed something interesting. My LinkedIn newsletter started driving subscribers to Substack. I created this thing I call the LinkedIn-Substack Flywheel. But that’s not what this post is about today…

This post is about how I started monetizing all of this new found growth. People weren't just reading and subscribing - they were asking for more details, templates, examples.

So I thought, "What if instead of another newsletter, I created a recorded masterclass and sold it?”

Honestly, I would have been happy if 4 or 5 people joined. That would have felt good. Well, there were over 50+ people who joined that first masterclass at $50 each over the course of a week. I realized I was onto something.

Here's what my current ecosystem looks like:

1. Daily LinkedIn posts and 3-4 newsletters per week ??

2. New subscribers join my Substack and grab my freebies ??

3. Many of those new subscribers choose to get my upsell to a recorded masterclass & playbook

Then, about once a month I’ll build up to a new masterclass or product launch, building excitement around a new offer.

November & December crossed the $10K+ mark combined, which has far exceeded my expectations.

The best part?

Once you set these up, they keep selling. I wake up to Stan Store notifications of people buying my products while I sleep.

Here's a quick win you can implement today

I call it the "Snippet Strategy" and it's how I turn every newsletter into a potential product:

1. Keep a "Gold Nuggets" document

2. Every time readers strongly respond to a specific tip or strategy in your newsletter, copy it there

3. When you have 5-7 related nuggets, you've found your next digital product

Your digital product doesn’t need to provide a full transformation. It simply helps solve one of your audience’s problems, in the fastest and most efficient way possible.

(hint: sometimes simpler digital products sell better than bigger, more complicated ones. For example, templates might sell better than a full 4-hour course).

Try this now with your last 4-5 newsletters. You probably already have a profitable digital product hiding in your content.

Key Lessons Learned:

1. Your email list size doesn't matter as much as you think

• I make more from 1,000 engaged subscribers than others do from 10,000 passive ones

2. Solve specific problems

• My best-selling product isn't my most comprehensive - it's the one that solves the most specific pain point

3. Start small

• My first digital product took 3 hours to create
• Used feedback to improve and expand
• Now it sells for 3x the original price

4. Build in public

• Share your journey
• Show behind-the-scenes
• People buy from people they trust

The craziest part? I'm doing this all while writing less than before. Instead of churning out daily content, I focus on 2-3 weekly newsletters that build anticipation for my products.

Here's the truth: The world doesn't need more paid newsletters. It needs more creators sharing real solutions to real problems.

Ready to get started? Drop your digital product idea in the comments, and let’s brainstorm how to make this thing a reality. ??

???? Join 3400+ Subscribers over on Escape the Cubicle Substack

I've written a recent post on Substack around "How to Build a Six-Figure Newsletter on Substack in 2025." I share how I went from Zero to 3,400+ subscribers and a $5K+ per month operation in less than 6 months...all while posting LESS content and making MORE revenue.

If you'd like to dive into more about this Substack Growth Strategy, check out my recent post on Substack below ??

>> Read "How I'm Building a Six-Figure Newsletter in 2025" on Substack <<