Substack Recommendations don't work anymore (well not in the way we thought)
+ 5 Ways to add SPARKLE to your final publishing chapter of 2025 on Substack because we're nowhere near 2026 yet. 😉
The Business of your Substack is my celebrated course that support business owners who also use Substack (like me). If you have the course or if you’d like to buy it, I’m running live masterclasses and co-working alongside it next week and the week after - I’d love to see you there! Join us and let’s get you super savvy about how your business fits with Substack and how to make the most of this wonderful platform in your ecosystem without burning out.
Hi Sparklers!!
I was just in the spa sweating it all out in the sauna (SO good) and I got to thinking about how our Substack publications are an ever evolving ecosystem. Write, test, adjust, renew, quiet, rest, write, receive and so on.
In the early days, I presumed I’d master things here and that would be it.
I’d be able to just relax and write, teach a little… er… nope!
Now, I choose to relax and write and I LOVE to teach so that’s nearly the same thing.
The Parisian Montmartre Effect
New folks arrive with stories they’ve heard about this platform…
They take a look around, readers come and go and take decisions on what to buy.
They might get whipped up at first and want coffee, iced water, a chat and a piece of art to keep. They’re enchanted and curious, in awe of the talent, grateful for the subscribes.
Maybe some time later they decide to make their own art?
Creative publishing control AND reaching an audience whilst operating within a platform has never been this exciting!
When we quiet the noise and focus in on our goals (which in my opinion is STILL very easy to do here), we get to really see, feel and hear what’s most important to us AND our audience. I’ve seen BEAUTIFUL publications with incredible writing and no subscriptions here too - it’s all a process.
But how often should we publish?
Unless we’re in the finance or news niche, we can afford to publish WAY less than we might think.
At the end of last year I set myself a challenge to publish weekly over on
(my whole hearted biz newsletter and other space here).For an entire year, posts have been written edited and scheduled to go out every single Sunday.
I did this for three reasons…
To improve and evolve my writing craft and voice.
To see how/ if it impacted growth, connection so I could tell you all about it here 😵💫
and to satisfy my sense of freedom and creative curiosity.
Locking myself into a publishing pattern took discipline. Promising it to my audience meant I showed up. You don’t have to do either to succeed here.
Back in May - the growth engine on Substack changed 1which has meant that the growth impact of this experiment was miniscule.
The GOOD news for me - the impact on my writing craft, confidence and speed to execute ideas has been HUGE and I had BEAUTIFUL conversations too. I’m glad I had a second part to that goal I set last year otherwise I would look like this - 😿
Since I wasn’t receiving m/any new subs through our recommendations tool and my Notes aren’t tethered to my bestselling paid newsletter over at
2, I’ve spent the past seven months working out exactly what is working for growth, depth, enjoyment and connection here and what isn’t outside of those two growth tools. 3✨
The best ways to grow your audience here RIGHT NOW …
Write great work that your audience resonate with and want to share further.
Share your work yourself on Notes - this usually gets very little traction - fresh notes work way better.
Write viral Notes that encourage people to check out your publication.4
Share your work across the internet airwaves - I am a huge fan of Substack video on YouTube shorts - a light lift with a massive impact.
Collaborate and get yourself in front of other audiences
Don’t start a second publication unless you’re bonkers like me and want to prove a point to yourself
📖 My new book Invisible Trust is available to pre-order from 1st December. Pop your name on the waitlist if you’re interested.✨
Here’s how to make the last two months of your time here SPARKLE and feel like an absolute DELIGHT to show up for!
Write and publish ‘that post’. You know the one you’ve been thinking about, mulling on, the one that makes you a bit nervous! You know the one? You’ve got this. Look what happened when my member
published her hero post I advised her to email and post instead of just quietly posting!
Seek out at least two great fit collaborations. I wrote a guest piece for
and went live with some great people this last month.Celebrate your heros, colleagues and friends - meet them for coffee and tag them in your posts. You can write them recommendation blurbs if you like - it’s still a beautiful thing it just doesn’t work for growth. OOO while I’m here did you know
’s NEW book To Kill a Queen comes out next week?! I’m so excited to read it. Reciprocity is the antidote to platform frustration I promise!Show up on Notes with an open mind and a heart full of reciprocity. Ditch linkedin speak and humble brags and be a human. 💖 Write FRESH notes - borrow what you have learnt on social media (hooks, scroll stoppers, lovely photos, conversational tone, whimsical quotes if you like) - have FUN with it! Position yourself and your WONDERFUL work in the great marketplace we have! Do it often!
Tidy up a little 🧹 - check your paid subscriber renewal emails, your hero post, your about page. Check what’s been popular and consider writing more on that with a brand shiny new home page tag so your audience can go deeper with that topic.
This article is already WAY long but if you have questions I’m here for you in the comments. I deeply appreciate your support, shares, restacks and all the lovely conversations we have about this platform and your work here.
Above all, celebrate your home here on Substack, take up space, share your wonderful voice. Your ideal readers are already SO excited you’re here and can’t wait to read more of your work.
Claire
✨
P.S - Ready to start reflecting and planning your 2026 on Substack - I’ve got you covered with my FREE downloadable planner.
Not from Substack directly but from the hundreds of dashboards I’ve seen and my own observations.
Your writer profile leads to your primary publication - when you write notes, that’s the publication folks are invited to subscribe to.
Don’t get me wrong I am DEVASTATED about recommendations
- it really was what set Substack apart from every other platform and feels like we’ve lost the HEART but of course it’s not personal it’s just what tech companies have to do.
I don’t teach about viral notes - you want
for that work. She has mastered the art of it and I’m pleased to not have to go there.
Thanks Claire. In some ways it's making it harder to 'game' the system (esp with recommendations) and so we can just focus on the things that make this space special - writing from the heart and building meaningful connections.
Such useful advice Claire, thank you. I’ve never been one to chase growth, I write what lights me up and trust that it will light up my readers too. Even if recommendations get no traction at all, I’ll still keep recommending people whose work I love because it’s good energy - and we need to spread more of that!!