I’ve been on Substack for six months. Here’s my honest review.

*Not a ‘growth hack’ post* - just a gal’s highs, lows & learnings.

I first heard about Substack in 2018.

I was living in Melbourne, Australia, working full-time in a global marketing team. My employer was (and still is) a great company, but I was deeply unfulfilled in my role. I missed writing for expression rather than agenda… perhaps you can relate?

My housemate, an investment analyst, had heard of this new startup that allowed writers to just write, and strongly encouraged me to check it out. I remember going to the website, staring blankly at the screen, and thinking: What do I have to say? And if I do think of something, who would even care?

I closed the window and didn’t think (or honestly, hear) of Substack again until 2021.

By then, I’d left that role and had been a full-time freelance writer for a couple of years. I loved my clients and the work I was doing, but once again, I found myself craving creative expression—something that wasn’t shaped by a brief or bound by client expectations.

This time, I got closer. I created an account, and even a p…