I Interviewed Tim Denning Again for Substack Insights
This highly followed writer, known for their viral content on Medium, is now getting 50 times more views on Substack. This success story can inspire aspiring writers to build and grow their audience
You can also read this interview on Medium.
Dear Readers and Writers,
Writing, editing, and content curation allow me to meet authentic and influential writers and leaders from different backgrounds. I enjoy interacting with people from diverse cultures, countries, and professional backgrounds. One of my hobbies is interviewing influential writers and introducing them to my audience. I have been conducting writer interviews on Medium since 2019.
As part of my leadership studies as a postdoctoral fellow and adjunct professor at Australian universities, I conducted countless interviews with senior leaders and entrepreneurs in large corporate organizations. I still interview many leaders and freelancers, especially those in startup companies or working as solopreneurs or aspiring entrepreneurs.
These interviews helped me gain insights into their learning and leadership patterns and inspired me to collaborate with them. Each interview opened a new window in my life, allowing me to connect with another kind soul meaningfully. In addition, I use these interviews as a cross-pollination tool to inform and empower my readers, fellow writers, and editors/curators of my publications.
Last year, I interviewed legendary Tim Denning. His interview has been sensational inspiring thousands of writers on Medium.com. Now you may ask why Interviewed Tim again. It is because within a year Tim made a significant progress creating a new strategy and plan to empower writers and creating a new community on another platform.
You may wonder what this platform is. As many writers would guess, it is Substack.com, one of the most exciting, empowering, and supportive platforms for creators. I am now building a larger community on Substack as a philanthropic organization with a commercial arm. I also explained why my wise mentors recommend me to spend 80% of my time on Substack and only 5% on Medium.
Tim has been contributing to my ILLUMINATION Integrated publications on Medium.com for a long time. He has been supporting ILLUMINATION-Curated, a formal boost nominating publication with his insightful content. Unfortunately, none of his insightful stories have been boosted so far, but he is cool about it and continues sharing his insights regularly. He does not care because he now gets 50 times more views on Substack, which we will explore his approach in this exclusive interview I conducted for you.
For those who don’t know Tim, he is a businessman, content strategy coach, and a blogger with 1B+ views, writing for CNBC, Business Insider, Medium, and now Substack, inspiring the world via his personal development, leadership, and entrepreneurship skills.
Tim has over 326K followers on Medium, 500K on LinkedIn, 121,000+ subscribers on Substack, and over 200K email subscribers of his insightful and inspiring content. So, Tim is a leader who walks his talk. The does not sugarcoat and tells the truth unfiltered as he does it better on Substack now.
On a personal level, I avidly follow Tim’s content despite the age and background differences between us. His depth of maturity and substantial business experience offer a unique perspective, making his stories thought-provoking, inspiring, and insightful for me. After being a Friend of Medium, I graciously share Tim’s content on my socials so that more people can learn from his insights for free.
Given Tim’s busy schedule, we have kept this interview concise, providing a brief background and mainly focusing on his recent writing schedule and the impact of his content through a new platform. He has contributed significantly to this platform and my publications, offering a substantial body of work for exploration. Now, he illuminates and inspires us through Substack.com.
Please enjoy this exclusive interview with Tim Denning.
G’day Tim, thank you again for your valuable time. Please tell us a bit about your background again for those who don’t know you yet.
Thank you for the opportunity, Mehmet. It is always a pleasure to chat with you. Briefly, as I mentioned before, I suffered a near-fatal battle with mental illness. Out of sheer frustration, I used writing as a way to talk about my experiences and make sense of the crazy world I lived in.
In 2011, my life collapsed, and I got an entry-level job in banking. Everyone made fun of me. Work was hard. I was tied to a phone. I hated myself.
In 2013, I attended a Tony Robbins event that changed my thoughts forever. It became the foundation for everything that would happen later. In 2021, I retired from banking to pursue writing full-time.
I am wiser and happier now. I got married and had a daughter which means a world to me. So in short, my life turned from misery to joy. I no longer just survive but I thrive.
Last time you told me you don’t have hobbies. Please tell us why.
True, I don’t really have hobbies because I am driven by obsession. I think about writing 24/7. When I’m not writing, I am with my daughter, fully immersed in the moment, which gives me a lot of joy. She is all I care about, and everything else is a meaningless distraction. Family has been the greatest gift in my life, as I have mentioned in my stories. My focus on family inspires me to write to my past self and my daughter when she is an adult.
As a writer, I know you also enjoy reading. What are the top three books that affected your life?
I read so many books to educate myself as a lifelong learner. But for me, any book by Tony Robbins would have to be on the list. Escaping mental illness was made easier thanks to the book “Man’s Search For Meaning.” Besides, Gary Vee’s first book, Crush It, taught me the power of the Internet and what was possible. It became a reality in my personal and professional life. As I mentioned before, the so-called creator economy, thanks to the Internet, will skyrocket.
Why did you start writing on Medium?
I joined Medium in the early days because it kept appearing in the Google search results. I saw people like Ramit Sethi build multi-million dollar book empires by using Medium. In the end, I wanted to find an audience that liked reading short essays. Medium did that for me, so I stayed longer than expected.
Now tell us about why you have started Substack which inspired me to re-interview you!
I started writing full-time on Substack at the start of 2021. I called my publication “Unfiltered” because I was sick of social media platforms censoring content and only letting us hear one side of every debate.
What started out of frustration became an obsession.
Everything about Substack is better than any other social media platform.
I own my audience
Substack staff don’t tell me how to think, what to write, or give me any of their opinions.
I can use my existing social media channels to promote my Substack.
I can build a community on Substack with their chat feature.
I can direct message readers and writers,
I can add native videos and podcasts.
I can even add an audio narration of my content.
Best of all, I get to decide what does and doesn’t get paywalled. And the money I earn is fully transparent (ie, Substack gets 10% and I get the rest)
Since joining the platform, I’ve gone from zero subscribers to 121,000+ subscribers. Substack awarded my publication a bestseller, and I have hundreds of paid subscribers. My Substack has also given me the best quality leads to fuel my online business.
Substack Notes has been a game changer too. It’s there copycat version of Twitter/X and the content there is high quality. I’ve used this feature alone to add 1000s of new subscribers.
What do you think of Substack in general, and what are your recommendations to beginners?
I think Substack is the best social media platform on the internet. It’s not about fake news and censoring opinions. Most users on the platform pay to read content which makes the audience higher quality.
- Start a community
- Learn all the nuances of the platform
- Do recommendation swaps
- Write daily on Substack Notes
- Network with writers using the community chat feature
- Go paid from day one (otherwise, Substack has no incentive to promote your publication)
What are your values as a writer?
My core value as a writer is to show some level of vulnerability. To speak the things people tell me I shouldn’t say. Or to share a story that’ll make me look bad but is the truth of my life.
I like to write as I talk. I want people to feel like they are talking to a friend, not listening to some super-smart writer who thinks they have all the credentials and is some silly expert.
Over the years, I’ve learned that people online love to read the work of a normal person like them. That is me. I’m not that talented, and I came from humble beginnings. So, that makes me somewhat relatable, and that aligns with who I want to be.
The last thing in the world that I want is to be famous or placed on a pedestal. The world has enough gurus. I am not your guru. My goal is to share ideas and hope some of them resonate. My goal is to make people think, not believe I am right. I am wrong about many things.
What are your recent stories about online writing that you want to share with your audience?
I’d be happy to do so. I published all of them in your publication ILLUMINATION-Curated, as the engagement rate of this pub is pretty high. Here are some recent ones.
What I Learned from a Guy Making $977,000 on Substack After 6 Months
What I Wish People Knew About Online Writers
You Only Have 1 Hour a Day to Build Your Online Empire (If You Work a Job)
Why Tim Denning Writes like Sh*t and Is Rich
The Dark Secrets of Writing Online — That No Happy-Go-Lucky Guru Will Dare Tell You
Writing Online Is a Video Game with Cheat Codes. Here’s How to Play and Win.
We’re Sick of People Saying They Got Rich off Writing. It’s a Scam.
The Moment When You Realize Passive Income Isn’t Bullsh*t
The Psychology of High-Paying Clients
This Is How You Become Debt Free and Financially Free
You Are Obligated to Get Rich While You’re Still Young
The #1 Problem All Writers Face Is They Suck at Sales and Marketing
Why did you join ILLUMINATION publications, and how did you find it so far?
I joined Illumination, the publication in the early days thanks to a cool writer Genius Turner. I asked him why his writing reached such a large audience, and he told me a lot of it had to do with Illumination. He said the community attached to the publication was like no other.
So, I submitted a few articles and had a similar experience. As a fellow Aussie, I found you to be hugely supportive of the writing community. I just loved what you were building and the seriousness with which you were doing it.
For some odd reason, a few newer writers looked up to me, so I wanted to write for Illumination so they, too, would submit articles to the publication and get the same nurturing support I received.
In a way, I wanted to pay it forward. Most people don’t know that when I had zero Media followers, Benjamin Hardy, PhD (a well-known Medium writer back then and a best-selling author these days) jumped on a call with me and offered to get me into the biggest publications. He had no real reason to do it other than he felt called to. Joining Illumination was my way to take what he did for me and help others get that sort of help.
Who are some writers you follow?
Ayodeji Awosika, Ryan Holiday, Jon Morrow, Mark Manson, Tim Ferris, Dan Koe, Morgan Housel, Sean Kernan, Chuck Palahniuk, and James Altucher (when he used to blog).
What are the success factors for you as a writer on Medium?
I have no idea why I had any small success on Medium. If I had to give an answer I’d say that I collaborate a lot with other writers. We share each other’s writing to help it reach a bigger audience because writing isn’t enough. You must focus on distribution as well. Publishing and then waiting for people to find your work doesn’t work.
What are your plans as a writer?
My real focus as a writer is now on Substack, as I mentioned before. In addition, my near future plan as a writer is to focus on the new book I’m writing, which will be self-published soon. If you want to read my best work along with 100k+ other smart people and live the good life, then subscribe to my newsletter here.
Thank you for your time Tim giving us a glimpse into your exciting personal and professional life. 🙏
I’d like to share an interesting and informative interview with Tim Denning conducted by another inspiring writer of our community Sinem Günel. Like Tim, Sinem is also shining Substack through her famous Write, Build, and Scale newsletter, collaborating with her partner Philip Hofmacher.
My Top 3 Favorite Stories from Tim’s Vast Collection
As I mentioned before, I read hundreds of stories from Tim, especially those published in my publications, but these three were very special to me, so I want to amplify them. They are also published on ILLUMINATION-Curated, giving voice to accomplished writers like Tim. Unfortunately, these insightful and inspiring stories were not boosted for unknown reasons, so I want to share them here as they can change lives.
Things You Won’t Give a F*ck About in 5 Years
I’ve Experienced Poverty Multiple Times.
The Best Life Lessons I’ve Learned from Studying the Lives of 10,000+ Ultra-Successful Individuals
I hope you will enjoy these pieces as much as I did.
Here is a glimpse of what others said about Tim on his website.
As I highlighted Every Writer Needs a Newsletter. Tim also agree with this idea. So join our Substack on ILLUMINATION publication to let the world know about your inspiring newsletter.
Apart from Medium, his website, and his Unfiltered Substack site through Notes, you may connect with Tim on LinkedIn and Twitter, where he shares his insights freely and publicly. Tim is also part of ILLUMINATION’s Slack Workspace so you can contact him easily when you need to collaborate with him.
Tim says, “Gone are the days of degrees, resumes, job interviews, and begging for pay raises. Master social media, and start calling your own shots.” You can explore his insights by following the link below.
Start Writing on Social Media - Medium
Thank you, dear readers, for exploring the profile of Tim Denning and his insightful stories and supporting his Substack newsletter. 🙏
I also introduced several other influential writers. Here are some recent samples that you may start exploring. You may click on the word “interview” to access them. I will share all these interviews on my Substack Content Strategy, Development, & Marketing Insights | Dr Mehmet Yildiz | Substack as I have already done Wendi’s and Elle’s interviews by making a co-author.
Interview Wendi Gordon, Interview Elle, Interview Waleed Mahmud Tariq, Interview Bill Petro, Interview Sylvain Zyssman, Interview Matthew Bamberg, Interview Øivind H. Solheim, Interview Abhishek Biswas, Interview Payal Koul, Interview Matt Lillywhite, Interview Genius Turner, Interview Shirley Willett, Interview David Mokotoff, MD, Interview Martin D. Hirsch, Interview Gill McCulloch, Interview Adelia Ritchie, PhD, An Interview Dr. Lutz Kraushaar, Interview Tim Denning, Interview Lorwen Harris Nagle, PhD, Interview Matt Williams-Spooner, Ph.D., Interview Pernoste & Dahl, Interview Luay Rahil, Interview Melissa Kalt, MD, Interview Ayodeji Awosika, Interview Dr. Preeti Singh, Interview Dr. ADAM TABRIZ, Interview Dr John Frederick Rose, Interview Yogesh Haribhau Kulkarni (PhD), Interview Hakima T A N T R I K A, Interview Mark Sanford, Ph.D, Interview Raymond M.E. Aguirre, Interview Keri Mangis, Interview John D. Leavy. You can find more interviews from my collection.
Interviews with Writers on Medium
Featuring inspiring writers of ILLUMINATIONmedium.com
If you are interested in being interviewed, you can leave a comment on this story or contact me at ILLUMINATION’S Slack workspace. I will arrange it at your convenience.
ILLUMINATION editors, Aiden (Owner of Illumination Gaming), and Mike Broadly, DHSc also introduce writers to create visibility to their profiles and stories. Here are the recent ones that you can click on “Meet” to read their profiles. I shortened them to save space.
Meet William Spivey, Meet Karen Goldfarb, Meet Naya Monroe, MA, LCDC-I, Meet Tejus Yakhob, Meet Dr. ADAM TABRIZ, Meet Jack Kammer, MSW, MBA, Meet, Joshua Mason, Meet Seda Anbarcı, Meet Dr Emmanuel Ogamdi, Meet Jozsef Kovacs, Meet Davor Katusic. Meet Thomas Allen Moon, Meet Sneha Nagre, Meet Zondra Dos Anjos, Meet Ani Vals Meet Ammara Hassan. Meet Sridhar Pai Tonse — Leadgen Coach- Tech Startups
Update on Substack Mastery Book
I recently wrote a book titled Substack Mastery. It has already become a best seller on Amazon. If you are interested, I decided to share the early version as one chapter a day for my beta readers. Here are the available chapters on this this platform which also provides free access to non-members.
Preface of “Substack Mastery” for Beta Readers, Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 5, Chapter 6, Chapter 7, Chapter 8, Chapter 9, Chapter 10, Chapter 11, Chapter 12, Chapter 13, Chapter 14, Chapter 15, Chapter 16, Chapter 17, Chapter 18, Chapter 19.
For those interested in taking their Substack to another level, here is a link where you can buy the Substack Mastery book through multiple online bookstores globally. It is also available in paperback format. I am in the process of turning it into audio and video formats too to appeal to a broad audience, as the topic is vital for freelance writers.
If you are a book author, you may try these additional publishing companies. In the next few days, my book will published on several more platforms, including Tolino via Thalia, which is one of my favorite ones in Europe, as it helped one of my books to be a best seller for 12 months.
The funds generated from this book will be donated to the management of the Substack Mastery site for the ILLUMINATION community. This education site also amplifies the newsletters of freelance writers.
I wrote about my monthly progress on eight different platforms to give an idea to fellow writers. It is an independent review and could be valuable for aspiring writers.
An In-Depth Performance Review of 8 Major Platforms I Contributed to This Month: Key Insights and…
Discover an independent and comprehensive analysis of my contributions and performance across multiple platforms…medium.com
If you are an aspiring leader, I researched leadership over the last four decades and summarized my findings in three articles that you may find helpful.
How to Be an Excellent Technical Leader
Here’s How to Recognize Distinguished Leaders.
Here’s What Young Entrepreneurs Can Learn from Exceptional Leaders.
You may learn about my technology leadership curation plans for my publication, Technology Hits, on Medium. Back to Writing / Curating Technology, Business, and Leadership Topics Using a New Profile
Here’s the latest newsletter I wrote for Technology Hits. And the one for ILLUMINATION showing our new strategy.
Thank you for reading my perspectives. I wish you a healthy and happy life.
I wrote many stories for new writers to guide them and find their voices easily and effectively, sharing my five decades of experience. I hope you find some stories from the attached collection.
Writing, Content Development & Marketing Strategy Guides
Edit descriptiondr-mehmet-yildiz.medium.com
To inform my new readers, I wrote numerous articles that might inform and inspire you. Some of my topics include brain, mental health, cognitive function, significant health conditions, longevity, nutrition/food, valuable nutrients, ketogenic lifestyle, self-healing, weight management, writing/reading, including 100+ Insightful Life Lessons from My Circles for the Last 50+ Years.
I publish my health and wellness stories on EUPHORIA and share distilled versions on SUBSTACK. My posts do not include professional or health advice. I only document my reviews, observations, experiences, and perspectives to provide information and create awareness.
Here are my three Substak sites serving different audiences.
Health and Wellness by Dr Mehmet Yildiz | Substack
Content Strategy, Development, & Marketing Insights | Dr Mehmet Yildiz | Substack
Technology Excellence and Leadership | Dr Mehmet Yildiz | Substack
If you are a writer, you are welcome to join my publications by sending a request via this link. I support 30K writers who contribute to my publications on this platform. I also have another profile to write and curate tech stories. Friend Links to My Sample Boosted Stories for Non-Members of Medium.
Get an email whenever Dr Mehmet Yildiz publishes. He is a top writer and editor on Medium.
dr-mehmet-yildiz.medium.com
Importance and Value of Medium Friendship for Writers and Readers
Why I Became a Friend of Medium
You are welcome to join the ILLUMINATION Community on Substack.
 | A guest post by
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Thanks for interviewing Tim Denning again, Dr Yildiz. I learned a lot from this interview. As an Aussie mate, I like non-sugar coated version of his stories both on Substack and Medium. I believe many aspiring writers will find this story very helpful. I admire his generosity to share his tips. As an editor and curator I also appreciate his contributions to our ILLUMINATION-Curated publications.
This interview with Tim Denning opened my eyes. It is insightful and inspiring for new writers like me. Thanks for writing this piece.