Editor’s Note: This article is the companion piece to Episode 25 of Unstuck to Finding Your Edge, my weekly Live series with Robyn Levin and in this episode we talk about our top key takeaways from our last 25 Substack Lives!
Twenty-five episodes ago, Robyn Levin and I didn’t have a weekly show.
We had a Substack comment.
I’d offered to answer questions about Substack. Robyn was new to the platform and had a few.
Okay, maybe more than a few. 😂
We started exchanging messages. Eventually, I gave her my phone number because it was easier to talk than keep typing.
One phone call led to another discovery: We both lived in Florida, we were both ice skaters, and I’d even skated at her former rink.
What are the odds?
Somewhere along the way, we decided to go Live together.
And now?
We’ve made it to Episode 025 of Unstuck to Finding Your Edge.
Same Platform. Different Playbooks.
Here’s something funny about our partnership.
Robyn and I don’t run our Substacks the same way.
I manage three publications and publish roughly six or seven articles a week.
Robyn manages two publications and publishes longer articles about once a month for each.
I plan my articles around recurring features, connect related topics, and schedule Notes to support each piece.
Robyn brings her background in branding, marketing, and travel into her writing, videos, and podcasting.
Different schedules, different priorities, different approaches, and neither of us needs to copy the other, but that’s exactly what I see writers doing on Substack.
Someone shares their publishing schedule, and suddenly everybody thinks they need to follow it.
Someone says you should post five Notes a day, so now you’re trying to squeeze five Notes into a day that barely has room for lunch.
Someone launches three publications, and you start wondering whether your one newsletter is enough.
ENOUGH FOR WHAT?
That’s the question we keep forgetting to ask.
What Works for Me Might Not Work for You
During Episode 025, Robyn asked how I manage my publishing schedule.
I explained how I connect my Sunday articles on NP Fellow Become the CEO of Your Health with Wednesday’s Weekly Skill.
Sunday introduces the topic. Wednesday gives readers something practical to do with it.
Once I started connecting those articles, I could sometimes write both in one sitting.
Sounds obvious now, but took me months to figure that out and even though that approach works for me, I wouldn’t automatically recommend my schedule to someone publishing once a week.
Why would I?
We might have completely different goals, responsibilities, and reasons for writing.
The same goes for paid subscriptions, podcasting, sponsorships, and every new Substack feature.
Just because someone else is doing it doesn’t mean you need to.
Twenty-Five Episodes. Still Learning.
Here’s what I love about doing this show with Robyn.
We bring different experiences to the conversation.
Sometimes I’m teaching Robyn something about Substack, sometimes she’s sharing something about branding or marketing that gives me a new perspective, and sometimes we start talking about publishing and somehow end up discussing compression socks and airplane yoga.
That’s Unstuck to Finding Your Edge.
Twenty-five episodes later, we still don’t have identical publishing strategies.
We don’t need them.
Someone else’s success doesn’t make their schedule your assignment.
Learn from other writers, steal the useful ideas (with permission, obviously), and experiment with what fits, but build something you can actually sustain because the goal isn’t to run your Substack like everybody else.
It’s to build one that works for you.
Episode 025 Takeaway 👑
→ You can learn from someone’s success without copying their entire approach.
Robyn and I have spent 25 episodes sharing what works in our very different worlds. And if there’s one thing worth remembering, it’s this:
Same platform. Different people. Different playbooks.
What’s one piece of Substack advice you’ve stopped following because it didn’t fit your life? Tell us in the comments.
Resources From This Conversation
Jess’s and Robyn’s article about pitching sponsors for your Substack publication →
Jess’s and Robyn’s article with 7 different types of Substack Notes formats→
Jess’s and Robyn’s article about how to promote your Substack articles after they are published →
Follow Jess at NP Fellow Become The CEO of Your Health →
Follow Jess at Unstuck to Published →
Follow Jess at Nurse in the Market →
Follow Robyn at Finding Your Edge →
Follow Robyn at Rare Finds - Luxury Travel →
Scan Robyn’s QR code to access her Youtube channel →
Thank You
Thank you so much for everyone who tuned into this live, your presence is truly appreciated, and to the people who are watching the replay, thank you!
See you next Friday at 12pm ET for our weekly show, stay tuned!
-Jess, The Creator & Robyn Levin
