Inspirations from Justin Welsh Who Joined Substack Lately and Became #1 New Bestseller Quickly
Special Case Study for Freelancers and Solopreneurs for Emphasizing the Importance of List Building and Trust to Grow on Substack
I published a copy of this story on Medium and my website to inspire more writers and readers.
Dear friends, I trust this message finds you well and inspires you to build your mailing list to shine on Substack. This post also shows that reputable content developers like Justin Welsh and many more, whom I will introduce later, are joining Substack and rapidly being recognized and supported by the community. They are a source of inspiration for us. I wrote this post in a raw style to inspire you to action for your own benefit.
Purpose of the Post
A few days ago, I wrote a piece exploring why so many readers and writers are moving to Substack — and doing so at an accelerating pace. Many open-minded readers and writers understood the layered reasons behind this shift and appreciated the effort to articulate what’s often left unsaid.
But not everyone agreed, which I want to address in this post.
A few pushed back, insisting that no better platform exists than Medium. Their arguments were sincere, and I respect them. I understand the appeal, because I was once just as invested in Medium myself. Back then, Substack felt like little more than hype. I dismissed it as a passing trend.
But when I finally took the time to research it seriously, approaching it with childhood curiosity and scientific skepticism, I started to see things differently. I tested its systems. I examined its structure. And the more I worked with it, the more I realized how wrong I had been.
Looking back, I regret spending five years publishing on a platform that slowly, quietly, put an invisible wall between me and the audience I had spent years building.
To be clear, there’s nothing inherently wrong with Medium. It still has value. It offers reach, community, and a bit of exposure. Like many, I enjoy writing here, although more readers are from direct links. For me, it is just another blogging platform with good domain authority. But I feel concerned for writers who idealize a corporation, as if it exists solely for their creative freedom, and delay the progress that can only come from ownership.
That’s why I’m returning to this subject now, and this moment also coincides with the launch of my latest book, Smart Email Marketing, which I have started uploading to this publication for members. In it, I share four decades of experience with list-building and content integration — knowledge I believe is more urgent than ever for independent creators.
And that brings me to Justin Welsh whose remarkable success inspired me to write this post today.
You have likely heard his famous name if you are a freelancer or running a content-first business as a solopreneur like me. Justin Welsh built an $8 million business alone — no team, no funding, just systems and trust. I have been following Justin’s content on social media for a while. His decision to join Substack delighted me.
A few days ago, this wealthy solopreneur (0 employees) joined Substack and announced it on X, where he has over 500K followers. Af ew days later, he was announced as the #1 New Bestseller, shocking the writing community. But knowing his compelling content and admirable capabilities for a long time, I was not shocked.
Some writers said he has published nothing yet, although he has myriad content on the Internet. There are no posts, threads, or campaigns on Substack—just presence and trust. In my opinion, this is a critical fact that new writers should understand.
For many, this was bewildering. For some, it was infuriating. To me, it was simply intuitive, instructive, and inspiring. Because what unfolded in those few days was not an accident. It was the culmination of something deeper—something most writers overlook. Therefore, I decided to write this raw piece without sugarcoating it to inspire you to take action to move from your comfort zone and start working in your stretch and risk zones for your own benefit in this harsh economic climate.
When the Platforms We Loved Stop Loving Us Back
For years, I was one of Medium’s staunch defenders with metaphorical romantic love.
I believed in its mission. I admired its elegance. I supported its leaders.
I built relationships, published frequently, established many publications, attracted/educated 36K writers, and introduced hundreds of thousands of readers and writers to the platform.
When people asked where to start reading and writing online, I would confidently answer: Medium.com!
Substack, by contrast, seemed clunky and limited in 2019. It lacked the glossy UX, the built-in audience, and the social proof. Something didn’t feel exactly right for me for 4.5 years, and it felt cold, so I didn’t pay much attention to it. It was all in my mind and a big mistake in hindsight.
But my mistakes became more apparent on Medium. I acted instinctively and with a dopamine rush rather than logic, intellect, data, and intuition, which are my usual tools. I only noticed it when my la la land disappeared.
No matter how consistent I was, how hard I worked, or how many readers I brought to the platform, I felt a growing distance between my writing and the people it was meant for after June 2024. Therefore, I even resigned from the privileged Medium pilot boost program and built my own pilot boost program elsewhere.
The platform began to insert itself between us. Quietly. Systematically. Almost imperceptibly. My reach plateaued like thousands of other established creators.
The wall between me and my audience became harder to ignore.
Even worse, recently, my hard-earned affiliate links were canceled as the platform politely informed me that I did not deserve them. I wasn’t alone. Many creators noticed the shift. Fewer were willing to say it aloud.
Our Approach Matters to Our Understanding
When I finally turned to Substack, I approached it as a scholar and a Zen, not a convert. I studied the model. I tested its mechanisms. I remained a silent prayer like the metaphorical Rain Man in the parched land.
I asked hard questions, then let the answers surprise me. What I discovered wasn’t just a better publishing tool — it was a better relationship. Not perfect. But a progressive human.
Where Medium was growing increasingly opaque, Substack was direct. Where Medium optimized for traffic, Substack prioritized trust.
I introduced 150,000 readers to Substack. Within weeks, the platform introduced me to 15,000 more with my hard work and meaningful engagement, like smart use of Notes. It was just like a trusted bank that pays the dividends fairly and on time.
Not because I gamed an algorithm. But because I opened the door gracefully.
And that door swung both ways, not like the way on Medium.
The Big Picture from Justin’s Case from My Perspective
This is the part many writers miss.
Justin Welsh didn’t become a bestseller in a few days in the top tier just with 5K subscribers. Even with 167K subscribers, I couldn’t replicate it because my strategy was not designed for immediate paid membership. As I explained before, it was built with a different intention for community building and helping thousands of writers transition to Substack.
A warm welcome to Justin, who will educate and inspire us.
He became one over a decade of building trust, delivering value, and maintaining a list of readers who wanted to follow him, wherever he chose to go.
I also noticed that another leading author whom I featured, Dr Joseph Mercola, was banned by YouTube, X, Facebook, and others, but found his tribe on Substack like a refuge land. I believe both Justin and Dr Mercola, like me, brought their audience with them to grow with the power of Substack, which pays the dividends metaphorically.
This is not a shortcut. From my perspective, it is a long-term strategy. I believe it is a viable path to sovereignty for most of us, enjoying freedom with a work-life balance. I think about the writers still holding onto Medium with romantic nostalgia, clapping, highlighting, and earning a few cents. I understand the feeling, as it happened to me too.
Love for a platform is not unlike love for a person: it resists logic, clings to memory, and forgives what it should question to find the truth. But platforms are not people. They are businesses. And when we confuse the two, we place our creative futures in the hands of those who owe us nothing. They run a business within ethical boundaries. More importantly, platforms are not our bosses. They are our growth tools.
The central lesson is this:
Build your list ASAP! Own your audience quickly and maintain with care, support, and joy! Not because it is trendy advice. Not because it leads to revenue instantly.
But because it is currently the only form of independence the internet still offers.
Building a mailing list and email marketing is not dead, and it will never die in my educated opinion. It gets stronger and healthier day by day. It is not spammy or sleezy either.
Smart writers like Tim Denning or Sinem Günel understood this early. For instance, Tim shifted focus, built direct relationships, and walked away from the platforms that once defined or suspended his presence.
Did you notice that Tim hasn’t published a story on Medium since last December? And yet, by every measure I can observe, he is thriving. That’s not rebellion. That’s by design. It is strategic thinking.
This story is not about Medium or Substack
I am not here to persuade anyone to leave or join anything. I am here to offer a quiet reminder:
The tools you use are not neutral. The platforms you trust will shape the future you inhabit. And if something feels off, it probably is.
This wake-up call story is not about Justin. Dr Mercola, Tim, or me either. I will share more about what I learned from these outliers in another story. It’s about the simple, sometimes uncomfortable truth:
The platforms might change but the trust we build will be our asset. And when you invest in trust, you no longer need to beg for reach. You’ve already built your own.
The Smart Email Marketing book has now been released. It distills four decades of experience in list-building and content strategy into 374 pages, designed to be absorbed in two or three days for beginners, for education and inspiration.
Unlike many high-priced courses, it is intentionally accessible, roughly the cost of two cups of coffee. If that still seems out of reach, send me a message. I’ll gladly share a digital copy with you. It is also included in my Content Marketing Strategy Insights at a very low cost.
I’ve already explained why I continue to emphasize the importance of mailing lists and thoughtful content integration, so I won’t repeat myself here. If you’re curious, I invite you to read that earlier piece.
Why Am I So Adamant About Mailing Lists and Why Should Every Author & Startup Have One? And you’ll also find a few examples of effective landing pages shared within it.
Lately, I’ve also begun spotlighting the work of a few insightful and open-minded writers whose thinking I deeply respect. These are creators who approach their craft with sincerity, not noise.
Our first public publication, ILLUMINATION Writing Academy, started last week.
We will start our second public publication Book Club for authors and book lovers next week.
Thank you for reading my perspectives. I wish you a healthy and happy life.
If you want to join our network and benefit from its education and marketing tools, here is your 20% discount as a gift from me.
I loved this timely and inspiring story ❤️Welcome Justin. 🙌 I will follow him. I watched a few videos from his content and interviews and enjoyed them.
This is both an inspiring and educational post, Dr Yildiz. Thank you for guiding us in these challenging times. I am grateful for your support and guidance.