How To Write a Substack (as a woman)

The notification sound pings on your phone. Another brilliant woman has just shared an insight that makes you think, "I wish I'd written that." You screenshot it, maybe share it in your group chat, and then that familiar feeling creeps in—the one that whispers, "You have something to say too, but who would listen?"

If you're reading this, chances are you've been circling around the idea of starting a newsletter for weeks, maybe months. You've bookmarked articles about Substack, watched other writers build their platforms, and felt that pull toward sharing your own thoughts with the world. But something has held you back. And if you're a woman, that something is likely a complex web of societal conditioning, imposter syndrome, and the very real challenges of being a female voice in digital spaces.

Here's what I want you to know from the start: your hesitation isn't a character flaw. It's a rational response to a digital landscape that wasn't designed with women in mind. The same platforms that can amplify your voice can also expose you to criticism, harassment, and the exhausting labor of constantly proving your worth. But here's the thing—your voice matters precisely because it's been underrepresented, and the world needs what you have to offer.

The Gendered Reality of Digital Publishing

When we talk about digital publishing, we often focus on the democratizing aspects—how anyone can start a blog, launch a newsletter, or build a personal brand. This narrative, while inspiring, glosses over the reality that "anyone" doesn't face the same obstacles. Women navigate a different set of challenges when stepping into public discourse online.

Consider the statistics: while women make up roughly half of all newsletter subscribers, they represent a much smaller percentage of the highest-earning newsletter creators. This isn't because women lack valuable insights or compelling stories. It's because the path to newsletter success requires a specific kind of confidence—the willingness to position yourself as an expert, to charge for your knowledge, and to weather criticism without backing down. These are skills that society systematically discourages in women from childhood.

Think about how differently we socialize boys and girls around authority and expertise. Boys are encouraged to speak up, take up space, and share their opinions with confidence. Girls learn to hedge their statements, seek consensus, and worry about being perceived as bossy or aggressive. These early lessons show up decades later when a woman sits down to write her first newsletter and finds herself adding "I think" and "maybe" to perfectly valid points, or when she struggles to hit "send" on content that a male peer would publish without a second thought.

The digital landscape amplifies these challenges. Online spaces can be hostile to women, particularly those who dare to have opinions on topics beyond traditionally "feminine" subjects. The fear of trolls, harassment, and public criticism isn't paranoia—it's a reasonable concern based on the documented experiences of countless women who've built public platforms.

But here's what I've learned after years of building my own platform and helping thousands of women do the same: understanding these challenges is the first step to overcoming them. When you name the obstacles, you can strategize around them. When you recognize that your self-doubt isn't personal weakness but societal conditioning, you can begin to rewire those patterns.

Why Gender-Specific Guidance Matters

You might be wondering: why do we need a book specifically about women writing newsletters? Isn't good advice just good advice, regardless of gender?

The answer lies in recognizing that women and men often start from different places and face different obstacles in building their platforms. Generic advice assumes everyone begins with the same level of confidence, faces the same risks, and has access to the same opportunities. This simply isn't true.

When a business book tells you to "fake it till you make it," it doesn't account for the fact that women are often punished for displaying the same confidence that's rewarded in men. When a newsletter guide suggests "just start writing about what you know," it doesn't address the reality that many women have been conditioned to downplay their expertise or question whether their knowledge is valuable enough to share.

Women also tend to approach community building differently than men. We're often more collaborative, more focused on genuine connection, and more concerned with the wellbeing of our audience. These are strengths, not weaknesses, but they require different strategies than the typical "grow at all costs" mentality that dominates much of the advice in this space.

The monetization conversation is particularly fraught for women. We've been socialized to be givers, to help others without expecting anything in return, and to feel guilty about charging for our knowledge. The phrase "charge your worth" makes many women uncomfortable because we've been taught that promoting ourselves is unseemly. We need strategies that work with our psychology, not against it.

This book exists because women deserve guidance that acknowledges where we're starting from and meets us there. It's not about lowering standards or making excuses—it's about providing practical strategies that account for the real challenges women face in digital spaces.

What Makes This Journey Different

Starting a newsletter as a woman in 2024 means entering a landscape that's both more opportunity-rich and more complex than ever before. The barriers to entry are lower than they've ever been—you can literally start publishing today with nothing more than an email address and something to say. But the competition for attention is fierce, and the pressure to constantly produce content can be overwhelming.

You're also entering this space at a time when audiences are more sophisticated and more skeptical. People are tired of generic content and obvious marketing tactics. They want authenticity, expertise, and genuine value. This is actually good news for women, who tend to excel at building real relationships and providing substantial value to their communities.

But authenticity online is complicated, especially for women. How much of your personal life do you share? How do you build connection without making yourself vulnerable to criticism or harassment? How do you establish authority without coming across as arrogant? These are the questions that keep many brilliant women from ever hitting "publish" on their first newsletter.

The financial aspect adds another layer of complexity. Many women struggle with pricing their work appropriately, asking for support, or promoting their paid offerings without feeling pushy. We've been conditioned to believe that our value lies in giving, not receiving, and that asking for money somehow diminishes the purity of our message.

Then there's the time and energy factor. Women still carry a disproportionate share of domestic and caregiving responsibilities, which means finding time to write consistently can feel impossible. The guilt of taking time away from family or other obligations to focus on your own creative work is real and exhausting.

Your Roadmap to Success

This book is designed to address all of these challenges head-on, with practical strategies and real-world examples from women who've built successful newsletters while navigating these same obstacles. We'll start with the technical foundations—understanding how Substack works and how to set yourself up for success from day one.

From there, we'll dive deep into the psychological aspects of newsletter writing as a woman. You'll learn how to craft a writer persona that feels authentic while protecting your privacy, how to write with authority even when imposter syndrome is screaming in your ear, and how to define your niche without limiting your future growth.

We'll tackle the community-building aspect with specific strategies for growing your audience while protecting your mental health. You'll learn how to handle criticism, deal with trolls, and create boundaries that allow you to show up authentically without burning out.

The monetization section will help you overcome the internal blocks around charging for your work and provide concrete strategies for launching paid subscriptions that feel aligned with your values. We'll cover pricing, positioning, and the art of asking for support without apology.

Throughout it all, we'll address the unique challenges of being a woman in digital spaces—from networking in male-dominated industries to managing the emotional labor of community building to scaling your platform without losing the authentic voice that made it successful in the first place.

By the end of this journey, you'll have not just the tactical knowledge to build a successful newsletter, but the confidence and mindset shifts necessary to sustain it long-term. You'll understand how to leverage your natural strengths as a woman while developing the skills that might not come naturally but are essential for success in digital publishing.

Most importantly, you'll be part of a movement of women who are claiming their space in the digital landscape, sharing their expertise without apology, and building the kind of platforms that make the internet a more thoughtful, inclusive place.

Your voice matters. Your expertise has value. And the world is waiting to hear what you have to say. Let's make sure you know exactly how to say it.