Substack in Plain English: A Simple, Practical Guide for Busy Creators
What Substack is, how it actually works, and how to use it without turning your life into a full‑time content job.
Substack in Plain English: A Simple, Practical Guide for Busy Creators
Substack is not mysterious software.
It’s email, a website, and a small social layer, all glued together so you can write once and reach people across more than one channel.
The trouble is, most explanations bury you in screenshots and jargon instead of showing you how to use it like a normal person with a real life and limited time.
This guide is the version I wish most of my clients had read before they ever created an account. I’m going to explain what Substack is, how it actually works under the hood, and which buttons matter for creators or solopreneurs who want to grow an audience and eventually make money—without turning this into a second full‑time job.
What is Substack in simple terms?
Substack is a place where you can write something once and have it go to two places at once: your readers’ inboxes and a public page on the internet with all your posts. You don’t need a separate website, email tool, or developer. You write, hit publish, and Substack handles sending, hosting, and basic design.
If you’ve ever wished your “newsletter” and your “blog” could be the same thing, that’s basically what Substack does. It just adds a few extra pieces on top—like built‑in payments and a discovery feed—so you’re not gluing together five different tools.
How does Substack work for readers?
From a reader’s perspective, Substack is like signing up for someone’s newsletter with benefits. They can:
Put in their email and get your posts in their inbox.
Read your archive on your Substack page if they’d rather scroll on the web.
Follow you inside the Substack app and see your posts and Notes in a feed.
They don’t have to remember URLs, bookmark your site, or hunt down your latest post on social. If they want you in their inbox, they subscribe. If they just want to browse occasionally, they can follow you in the app without committing to email.
How does Substack work for writers and creators?
From your side, Substack is a very simple dashboard with a few main jobs:
Write posts. Long‑form content that becomes both an email and a web page.
Send emails. Substack delivers your posts to subscribers for you.
Manage subscribers. You can see who’s free, who’s paid, and basic stats.
Publish Notes. Short updates and link posts that behave more like social.
You don’t have to worry about templates, HTML, or running your own email server. You create a publication, pick a name, write your first post, and Substack takes care of getting it in front of the people who asked to hear from you.
What’s the difference between followers and subscribers?
This trips people up a lot, so here’s the plain‑English version:
Followers see you in the app.
Subscribers get you in their inbox.
Followers can see your posts and Notes when they open the Substack app, but they haven’t given you their email address. Subscribers have. That means subscribers are the people you can reliably reach—even if apps, algorithms, or feeds change.
When you look at your own Substack, pay more attention to subscribers than followers. Follower counts feel nice. Subscribers are the ones who actually see your work and buy things.
What can you post on Substack?
Most creators start with simple text posts, but Substack can also handle:
Long‑form articles (like this one).
Shorter updates or serialized posts.
Podcasts (audio episodes).
Video posts.
Notes (short‑form posts that live in a feed).
You don’t need to use everything. If you’re a writer, start with text. If you already have a podcast, you can host it there. The key is to pick one main format you can sustain, then use the other options as bonus channels—not as pressure.
What is Substack Notes (and do you really need it)?
Substack Notes is their built‑in social feed. Think “Twitter, but attached to your newsletter.” You can post short thoughts, links, screenshots, and replies. Notes are useful for three things:
Being seen by people who don’t know you yet.
Staying top‑of‑mind between newsletters.
Showing a more informal version of how you think.
If you’re already stretched thin, don’t treat Notes like another content job. Use it like you’d use text messages with your readers: short, honest, and to the point. A couple of solid Notes a week that point back to your best posts will do more for you than trying to “go viral.”
How does Substack handle free vs paid?
Substack lets you enable paid subscriptions so readers can support you or access extra content. You set the price (monthly and/or yearly), decide what paid people get, and Substack handles the payments and delivery.
Free subscribers get your public posts and emails.
Paid subscribers get whatever extra you promise: bonus posts, Q&As, community, behind‑the‑scenes, office hours, etc.
You don’t have to turn paid on right away. Many creators start free, get a feel for their audience, and then add a paid tier once they know what people want more of. Others never use paid at all and make money from coaching, consulting, or products instead.
How does Substack make money?
Substack is free until you charge. When you turn on paid subscriptions, they take:
10% of the subscription revenue, plus
Stripe’s normal payment processing fee.
There are no monthly platform fees from Substack itself. That means they only earn when you do, which is why so much of their advice is about getting readers to pay for something—content, community, or extra access.
Do you need a website as well as Substack?
You can absolutely run your business from Substack alone. Many people do. But having a simple personal site in your own name is a good idea if you’re planning to build a long‑term business around your expertise.
A separate site lets you:
Control your own domain (yourname.com).
Organize offers and resources the way you want.
Improve how you show up in Google and AI tools under your own name.
Think of Substack as your publishing and relationship hub, and your website as the place where all your offers and appearances live. They can feed each other.
Who is Substack good for?
Substack works best for people who:
Have ideas or expertise they can talk about regularly.
Want a direct line to their audience without playing algorithm games.
Are willing to show up consistently in exchange for long‑term trust.
That includes writers, yes—but also coaches, consultants, solo service providers, and anyone running a portfolio business who wants clients that already “get” how they think before they ever get on a call.
If you hate writing, this will be an uphill climb. If you’re willing to write or record regularly, Substack can quietly become one of the most valuable assets in your business.
What’s the simplest way to start using Substack well?
If you want the bare‑minimum setup that still works:
Pick a clear name and subtitle that says who you help and what they’ll get.
Write one solid “Start here” post that explains what you’ll cover and who it’s for.
Commit to one good email per week for the next 8–12 weeks.
Put a simple “here’s how to work with me” section at the bottom of each post.
Post a few Notes each week that share a useful idea and link back to your latest issue.
You can add complexity later. The most important thing at the beginning is getting reps with the basics so readers and models both know what you’re about.
Carrie Loranger is a Substack strategist who helps creators and solopreneurs grow on Substack and turn one newsletter into multiple income streams.
Good Reads
If you want to go deeper on specific pieces of this, these will help.
Four ways to work with me
If you want Substack to behave like a real revenue engine, not a writing hobby, here are four ways we can work together:
Creator Cashflow Club
My paid membership for builders who want systems, not scattered tips. You get my templates, behind‑the‑scenes breakdowns, and ongoing support so Substack becomes a predictable part of your income instead of guesswork.
→ https://thrivewithcarrie.substack.com/subscribeSubstack Setup Sprint
A focused sprint to get your Substack set up (or cleaned up) the right way: positioning, homepage, sections, offers, and a simple plan for growth. Ideal if you’re ready to treat Substack like business infrastructure, not “just a newsletter.”
→ https://carrieloranger.com/setup-sprint60‑Minute Clarity Call
A 1:1 call to untangle your Substack strategy: what you should write about, who it’s for, how it fits your business, and what to do next. You leave with a clear direction instead of ten competing ideas.
→ https://clarity.carrieloranger.com/60min-clarity-call-pageSubstack Newsletter Audit
A detailed audit of your publication, homepage, welcome flow, and recent posts. I’ll show you what’s costing you subscribers and revenue, and give you specific fixes you can implement right away.
→ https://carrieloranger.com/substack-audit
I am pretty new to Substack, making lots of mistakes, but learning fast!
This was so helpful… thanks!