Substack Is Not Where You Find Your Audience
Let me be clear upfront: this isn’t an attack on Substack.
It’s a solid platform for newsletters. Clean interface, decent analytics, and better revenue splits than most alternatives.
But if you think Substack’s “network effects” will magically build your audience, you’re barking up the wrong tree.
The fundamental problem? Substack is full of creators, not customers.
The Reality
Reddit has 1.1 billion monthly active users and 110.4 million daily active users, while Facebook maintains 3.07 billion monthly active users with 2.11 billion daily active users.
These platforms dwarf Substack’s internal discovery potential.
More importantly, people go to Substack to read newsletters they already know about. They don’t browse it like a content discovery engine. The recommendation engine exists, but it’s largely creators recommending other creators to audiences that overlap significantly.
Think about it: when you’re on Substack, you’re either writing, reading someone you already follow, or checking out a writer another writer recommended.
You’re not there solving your actual problems. You’re consuming creator content.
Your ideal readers aren’t scrolling Substack looking for solutions.
They’re in Facebook groups asking questions. They’re on Reddit seeking advice. They’re on Medium researching specific problems.
Where Your Audience Actually Lives
The data tells a different story than the “build it and they will come” mentality that dominates creator advice.
Facebook has 279.8 million users in the United States alone, and Facebook Groups have reached 1.8 billion users actively engaging in various communities.
More critically, Facebook leads all social media platforms as a news source, with three-in-ten U.S. adults regularly getting their news from the site.
People dismiss Facebook as “for old people,” but the demographics tell a different story. The largest segment of Facebook users, with 24.97%, falls within the 25 to 34-year age range, and the second-highest share of 18.68% of Facebook’s audience is aged between 35 to 44 years.
This is your buying demographic. These are people with disposable income, established careers, and real problems they’re willing to pay to solve.
Reddit’s search volume has increased by 20% year over year, and here’s why that matters: there are more than 46.7 million searches each day on Reddit across various subjects.
Reddit is where people go to solve problems. They search for “best budgeting app,” “how to start freelancing,” or “small business accounting software.” 40% of Reddit users rely on Reddit for recommendations regarding products and services.
Reddit users are 50% more likely to have an interest in personal finance and 52% more likely to be engaged in politics.
These are engaged, educated users actively seeking solutions.
Medium
Medium gets overlooked because creators think of it as competition, but Medium users are researching specific problems.
They’re not there for entertainment. They’re there for answers.
Unlike Substack, Medium has robust SEO. Your articles can rank in Google searches. Someone Googling “how to transition from employee to freelancer” might find your Medium article, not your Substack newsletter.
The Strategic Shift
Stop thinking like a creator and start thinking like a problem-solver serving real people.
Facebook Strategy:
- Join groups where your ideal clients ask questions
- Search for posts with keywords related to your expertise
- Provide genuine, helpful answers without pitching
- Build relationships first, mentions second
Reddit Strategy:
- Find subreddits where your audience discusses their problems
- Use tools like Subreddit Stats to identify active communities
- Answer questions thoroughly and helpfully
- Your profile should clearly link to your newsletter, but your comments should focus on pure value
Medium Strategy:
- Write solution-focused articles that rank for problem-related searches
- Use SEO-friendly titles that match what people actually search for
- Include a soft CTA to your newsletter for people who want deeper insights
- Cross-publish summaries to Substack with links back to the full Medium piece
The Operational Reality
This approach requires more work than hoping for Substack discovery. You need to:
- Research where your audience actually spends time (not where other creators say they should)
- Track which platforms drive newsletter signups (not just which ones feel good to post on)
- Document what content formats work for each platform
- Build relationships systematically rather than hoping for viral moments
The math is simple: Facebook’s 3.07 billion monthly active users plus Reddit’s 1.1 billion monthly active users represent more potential audience than Substack’s entire user base.
The Substack Sweet Spot
Use Substack for what it does best: delivering newsletters to people who already want to hear from you. Treat it as your distribution system, not your discovery engine.
Your workflow becomes:
- Create valuable content where your audience researches problems (Medium, Reddit, Facebook)
- Drive interested people to your newsletter signup
- Deliver deep value via Substack to subscribers
- Repeat the cycle with insights from subscriber feedback
This isn’t sexy advice.
It won’t get recommended by other creators because it doesn’t involve buying courses about Substack growth hacks.
But it works because it focuses on serving real people with real problems rather than impressing other creators.
Your audience isn’t hiding on Substack waiting to discover you.
They’re out in the digital world actively working on problems you can solve.
Go where they are. Not where you wish they were.
Ready to stop hunting in empty forests? Start with one platform this week. Pick Facebook, Reddit, or Medium. Spend 30 minutes finding where your ideal readers ask questions. Answer one question helpfully. No pitch, just value. See what happens.