How I Use Substack for Personal Branding
Hi friends,
I have written on a few WordPress blogs before, then started focusing on Linkedin and Medium. Towards the end of last year, I published my first Youtube video and planned to launch a newsletter this year. That was when I came across Substack and quickly realized all these platforms would eventually drive me crazy.
In this article, I want to share my experience as I explore all Substack functionalities to centralize all my content creation and explain why I believe it is a powerful tool for anyone planning to establish a personal brand online.
A Step Back
First things first. Before diving straight into all the benefits I believe there are in creating online content and convincing you — or not — that substack could be the right platform, do you know what a personal brand really is and have you thought about what it takes to create one?
Personal branding is about creating a unique and memorable identity for oneself to stand out in a competitive market. It involves understanding one’s own strengths, values, and goals, and then showcasing them through social media, networking, and content creation.
It is the means by which one becomes a credible authority in a particular field and builds a positive association with one’s expertise.
Gary Vaynerchuk, Vusi Thembekwayo, Marie Forleo, Tim Ferriss, Seth Godin, and Brené Brown are some global examples of leaders who leveraged their unique strengths to create content that resonates with their audience and consistently deliver value, allowing them to stand out in their respective fields, build credibility, and attract opportunities that may not have been available otherwise.
Starting Point
Pause the reading and take some time to identify what makes you unique and worthy of attention. Is it your interests, experiences, way of thinking, or skills? Remember — a brand needs something to stand on.
Don’t stress. It could also be your own journey in search of what makes you stand out.
Once this is defined, select what is your most comfortable way of communicating: video, audio, or text. Subtack supports them all, you just have to choose one format to start.
“The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.” — Lao Tzu
Why Use Content for Personal Branding
1. It helps me develop my own ideas
This is by far my favorite part of writing overall. Putting my ideas out there and the work research that goes with editing them, helps me to sharpen and challenge my own views, learn from others, and of course, makes me a better writer and a better communicator.
2. It creates some differentiation
There are so many bright and incredibly talented people out there, I believe that as people access my content, they can easily get an overview of my way of thinking, making me unique and more memorable to others with similar backgrounds and qualifications.
3. It helps me get closer to my tribe
My articles and newsletter attract like-minded individuals who can relate to or encourage me to reconsider my perspectives and thought processes.
4. It gives me leverage
Still linked to the previous point, by publishing my ideas online I am no longer confined to direct interactions to be able to communicate with others. Anyone can literally have a conversation with me from anywhere and at any time — just like you right now.
5. It exposes me to multiple opportunities
From being able to serve as an inspiration to other individuals on a similar path, being consulted for insights on different startup initiatives, and supporting and promoting causes I care about, to having the ability to create additional income streams.
How I Use Substack
I like simplifying everything I do. Substack reduces any sense of clutter or anxiety and helps me focus on what is truly relevant — creating content.
Substack has a very clean and intuitive interface and amazing features that enable your content to be easily discovered and read across different devices.
This is how I use it:
Blog
I created a publication under my name which has the URL: luimarsilva.substack.com and I use it just like I used medium.com before, as my personal blog. On average, I publish two monthly articles describing something I have lived or my learnings from talking to founders or rockstar contributors who I strongly admire.
Although it has always been my approach, I believe documenting personal journeys and letting people extract learnings from it has become even more important with Generative AI capable of demonstrating expertise on literally anything.
When I publish those articles on the blog, I do not send them via email to subscribers. It is my blog, not my newsletter. I then use the comments section to engage with readers.
Newsletter
Within the publication Luimar Silva, which I use as my personal blog, I have created a section that I use as a newsletter, FastFavs.
Those who subscribe, receive one weekly exclusive newsletter from me, sent every Saturday with takeaways on the best business content, productivity hacks, and experiences I’ve had in that week.
My blog posts are public but everything shared through the newsletters is only available to subscribers and cannot be found anywhere else.
Notes
Notes are short updates that authors can send to subscribers. They can be used to share brief thoughts, announcements, or behind-the-scenes glimpses into the author’s life or creative process.
I am currently using it as a complement to my longer-form content, such as newsletters or blog posts, and to create engagement within the community.
The best part?
I do not have to leave the platform or navigate through complex settings to achieve all of the above, and since Substack also supports video and audio content natively, I can literally expand my content format to videos and podcasts anytime I feel ready!
So now I have all my original content here and simply use my LinkedIn as a distribution channel.
Substack has been an incredible tool, helping me simplify my content creation process and aggregate it all in one place. I hope you found this article helpful.
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