Woke up this morning to a comment on my post — just a writer (with a far bigger subscriber list than mine, by the way) dropping a link to her own post in my comments.

I probably don't need to say this, but: don't do that.

It's tacky. It reeks of desperation.

But it got me thinking about something bigger.

Substack is changing fast.

People are flooding the space every week. The algo shifts. Writers who've been here a minute are watching what used to work stop working, and they're scrambling to get back to the "good times."

So I just have one message for you, whether you’re new or you’ve been here and you’re looking for what “works”:

Don't freak out.

There's still plenty of room here to experiment, to find your voice, to build something real. Don't fall for the quick hacks — the template packs, the shortcut promises, the desperate self-promo in other people's comments.

Take your time.

Every move you make on here is building your long-term experience on this platform. Make it one you actually like.