What working in publishing (OUT Magazine + The Advocate) taught me about running a Substack like a business 👇

📊 Track metrics like a publisher: know your open rates, conversions, churn, and growth. Data drives every decision.

🎯 Content is product: every issue has to deliver value. If it doesn’t serve the reader, it doesn’t run.

💸 Subscriptions are revenue, not validation: treat paid sign-ups as sales, not ego boosts.

📢 Distribution matters: publishers obsess over reach. Promote your newsletter on every channel, every time.

👥 Audience = community: comments and replies aren’t fluff. They’re retention tools that keep readers paying.

⚖️ Think portfolio: mix free + paid, short + long, evergreen + timely. Publishers diversify to balance risk and reward.

I learned this in publishing, but the same rules apply here. Run your Substack like a business, not a hobby.