Inside the Minds of Substack Creators: Are You a DIY Writer or Creative Entrepreneur?
Whether focused on creativity or business, 53% of Substack writers in my survey agree: building a strong connection with their audience is key
What kind of Substack writer are you? One driven by creative freedom or someone focused on turning passion into profit — or are you somewhere in the middle?
To find out, I recently surveyed 100 writers, both inside and outside of The Editing Spectrum, to see where they fall on the spectrum between being a ✍️ DIY Writer and a 🧑💻 Creative Entrepreneur. The responses were revealing, showing how motivations, strategies and dreams intertwine across both mindsets. Whether you’re honing your craft or building a creative business, here’s a look at what we all have in common — and where we diverge.
1. Motivations and Best Aspects of Substack:
✍️ DIY Writers are highly motivated by the autonomy Substack offers. An impressive 66% highlighted that the freedom to write and publish on their own terms is the best part of being on the platform. Additionally, 40% of DIY writers emphasize improving their craft through consistent writing. They’re drawn to the personal and creative aspects of writing, focusing on the internal satisfaction it brings.
👨💻 Creative Entrepreneurs are more business-minded, with 53% citing the importance of building relationships with their audience as a key motivation. For 23%, monetizing their work and finding new income streams is a primary driver for their presence on Substack. This group is clearly focused on connecting their creativity with sustainable financial outcomes.
2. Handling Creative Blocks:
✍️ DIY Writers tend to take a more laid-back approach when facing creative challenges. 35% of them prefer to take a break and wait for inspiration to return, trusting the creative process. Another 25% seek inspiration by consuming other materials, such as reading, before returning to their work.
👨💻 Creative Entrepreneurs, on the other hand, are more proactive when dealing with creative blocks. 19% push through by setting deadlines and staying disciplined to meet their goals, while 15% experiment with different formats, like Substack Notes or shorter pieces, to keep their momentum going. This difference highlights their action-oriented nature, always keeping the end goal in mind.
3. Focus on Substack:
✍️ DIY Writers tend to prioritize improving their craft and sharing more personal, creative work with their audience. For 17%, this is the main focus, while 24% enjoy the writing process itself without feeling pressured to monetize their work.
👨💻 Creative Entrepreneurs are, not surprisingly, more business-driven. 35% are focused on building a consistent audience and deepening connections with readers, and 18% are actively figuring out how to monetize their newsletters and grow paid subscribers. This group views Substack as a platform to scale their creative businesses.
4. Experience with Paid Upgrades:
✍️ DIY Writers are generally less interested in implementing paid upgrades. 37% of them are more focused on growing their audience and improving their writing before considering monetization strategies.
👨💻 Creative Entrepreneurs, however, are much more likely to explore paid upgrades. 27% have incorporated paid options as part of their overall revenue strategy, while 6% are actively experimenting with pricing, offers, and promotions to grow their paid subscriber base. This demonstrates their willingness to test new monetization strategies to build a sustainable business model.
5. Approach to Marketing:
✍️ DIY Writers overwhelmingly prefer organic growth over structured marketing efforts. 81% of respondents in this group focus on cultivating genuine relationships with their readers without formal marketing budgets.
👨💻 Creative Entrepreneurs are more willing to invest in marketing as a tool for growth. While still a smaller percentage, 9% are open to scaling their marketing efforts, with some willing to invest more than the traditional 10% business model guideline to grow their audience or revenue. This group is more strategic in how they approach marketing, seeing it as a critical tool for scaling their work.
6. Biggest Dreams for Substack:
✍️ DIY Writers tend to dream of writing freely and authentically, with 17% aiming to reach readers who deeply resonate with their stories. Building a loyal community of engaged readers is another key goal for 14%.
👨💻 Creative Entrepreneurs have broader, more business-oriented dreams. 42% envision turning their Substack into a thriving creative business that generates sustainable income. Additionally, 14% dream of expanding their work into other formats like books, courses, or media collaborations. This group is looking at long-term growth and broader opportunities beyond just newsletter writing.
Finding your place on Substack
This survey reveals a clear division between DIY writers and creative entrepreneurs, each navigating Substack with distinct goals. DIY writers are primarily focused on the personal and creative aspects of writing, seeking freedom and self-expression. Meanwhile, creative entrepreneurs are more focused on building audience connections and monetizing their work.
Where do you find yourself on this spectrum? Are you more focused on creativity for its own sake, or are you seeking ways to turn your writing into a thriving venture?
New to Amanda and The Editing Spectrum?
Explore My Work: Start with my Writing Plan Tools Workshop (available for one-time purchase) or the Editorial Launch Pad.
Workshops & Speaking Engagements: Invite me to speak or host a workshop for your university, writing community or in-house team. Send me an email at TheEditingSpectrum@gmail.com.
Bespoke Guidance for Creative Entrepreneurs: Whether you need The Pricing Gut Check to ensure your paywall strategy is on point, The Reader Connection Boost to drive more engagement, or The Writing Plan Makeover to streamline your publishing schedule, my bespoke strategy projects are designed to support your voice, goals and personal bandwidth. Together, we’ll craft a personalized action plan to help you overcome creative challenges and help your newsletter thrive. Fill out an interest form here.
Didn’t get to take the survey? There’s still time!
I’d love to hear where you’re landing on the creative spectrum these days. The survey is now open on a rotating basis — and once a month I pick a handful of participants and send out 30-day comps to The Editing Spectrum. (Just make sure you’re signed up so I can send it to you!) 🙂
Take the survey here. 👇
Amanda, this landed on the perfect day! Some of these questions are particularly relevant for me right now, especially what a go-to strategy for getting unstuck looks like. Although I identify more with being a DIY Writer, my approach to "pushing through" is more like that of a Creative Entrepreneur; i.e. keep going, stick to deadlines, etc. Any thoughts on that from you, or any other readers?!
I love this label: “DIY Writer”. Yup, that’s me. It was reportedly my first spoken sentence: “Me do it!”, and that pretty much says it all. I’m retired from paid work, which gives me the freedom to work on myself, read widely, and write to learn.