Charting your writing success path from style to scale

Discover the step-by-step journey to grow your creative career. Learn how to develop your unique style, find your voice, build a platform, and scale your work sustainably while reaching the right audi

Jan 29, 2025

Hi,

Creators often ask me what they should be doing to grow their publication, and that is a really, really tricky question to answer, because it kind of relies on how much work you’ve done before this point. Growth isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution; it’s a journey, and your starting point is unique to your experience.

Before I even started my first blog, I had written 10+ screenplays and directed a movie. Before I started my Substack, I had close to 15 years' experience blogging and podcasting.

Some people will come to this work with an MFA in creative writing and others haven’t done much more than write Facebook posts. So, I’ve outlined the stages I think people need to go through in order to grow sustainably and consistently.

Not all of you will start in the same place, and just because you’ve been doing things for a while, doesn’t mean you’ve been doing it with intention. You might have been writing every day for months, but without varying your styles you aren’t going to get far.

Additionally, I’ve added how long each of these bits might take, but it could take way longer or a little bit shorter depending on how much time you have allocated to doing it. Each stage is broken up into three month chunks. This is because I believe you should choose one singular area of focus every quarter. Additionally, I believe that if something is working, you should focus on it for two quarters, or six months.

Most things can’t be neatly wrapped up in three months, but it should be possible to see growth after three months, and whether you’re ready to move on after six months.

Stage 1: Nail your style - 3 to 12 months

When you first get started, all you need to do is write, and write, and write. Write every type of story in every format you can to find out what resonates with you. I am a very good writer, but I’m a very good writer because I’m constantly trying to reach just outside my grasp. Not only have I written in tons of formats from movies to comics to novels to non-fiction, but in just about every style I could find to see if there was anything to make my own writing stronger.

Common mistake: Rushing through style development - One of the biggest mistakes is trying to settle on a style too quickly. Many creators lock into one format or tone too early, limiting their growth. Instead, take the time to experiment widely. Try different genres, perspectives, and even platforms before deciding what feels right for you.

Exercise: Write one short story or article each week in a completely different style or format than the previous week. At the end of each week, reflect on what came naturally, what felt challenging, and whether you enjoyed the process. Track these reflections in a journal to help identify patterns.

Stage 2: Nail your voice - 3 to 6 months

Voice might feel like style, but it’s very different. When you’re trying to nail your style, you should be trying to write the “perfect” encapsulation of that kind of writing. You’re doing a whole lot of mimicking and, frankly, writing a lot of things you don’t really care about in the end. Nailing your voice is about finding what you want to say and how you want to say it. Your voice comes through beyond the style, and you’re often using different styles to amplify your voice.

Common mistake: Ignoring voice in favor of mimicry - While learning from others is important, many creators get stuck mimicking successful voices instead of developing their own. If you notice you’re constantly writing in someone else’s style or tone, step back and ask what you want to say and how you want to say it.

Exercise: Choose a topic you’re passionate about and write about it in three different styles (e.g., formal, humorous, conversational). Compare how each style affects your voice. Which one feels the most authentic? Use this as a foundation to develop your unique voice further.

Stage 3: Nail your platform - 3 to 6 months

Once you’ve got your style and voice, it’s time to figure out what platform(s) work the best to amplify your voice. The most important part of a platform is that it multiplies the efforts you already do and enjoy. Just because TikTok can get lots of people to look at your work, if you hate video then you probably shouldn’t be there. Now that you have a style and a voice, you can plug it into a lot of different platforms and find which one works for you. I’m not so ideal to think you haven’t been doing this already, so really, what you want to do is find the platforms that feel the best and have the best engagement for your work. It might be something like Instagram, but it could be something like Kickstarter or Quora, too. Every website that aggregates an audience is a platform, and now we need to figure out what works for you.

Common mistake: Overcommitting to the wrong platforms - Some creators feel pressured to be everywhere and every platform all at once. This leads to burnout. Focus on the platforms that genuinely amplify your voice and feel sustainable to manage. Quality engagement on one or two platforms is far more valuable than being spread too thin.

Exercise: Post one piece of content across 3-5 different platforms over the course of a month (e.g., Instagram, Substack, Quora, Medium). Track the engagement you get on each platform and reflect on which platform felt most comfortable for you to use, as well as which led to the most meaningful interactions.

Stage 4: Nail your audience - 3 to 6 months

Notice, up until this point, I haven’t talked about readers and that is intentional. We’re so obsessed with building an audience, but until you have a style, a voice, and a platform, it doesn’t really matter who reads your work, or at least it shouldn’t be a focus.

Don’t get me wrong, during those first three steps you’ll definitely pick up some people who love your voice and your style, and this is the point where you need to look back and say “who actually does love my work, and why?” We’re looking for both demographic (age, sex, location, etc) and psychographic (attitude, tastes, vibes, etc) data here to develop an amalgamation of who resonates the most with your work, and evangelizes for it the most. I recommend reaching out to the people who engage the most with the stuff you write and try to interview them to figure out what makes them tick and why they love your stuff.

Common mistake: Chasing readers before you’re ready - It’s tempting to focus on building an audience as soon as you start creating, but this can backfire. If you’re constantly promoting work before you’ve honed your style and voice, you risk alienating potential readers with content that doesn’t yet reflect your best self. Take time to refine your craft before worrying too much about audience-building.

Exercise: Create a survey for your existing audience with questions that focus on why they connect with your work. Include questions that help you understand both demographic information (age, gender, location) and psychographic details (interests, values, emotions your work evokes). Use this feedback to adjust your messaging or topics.

Stage 5: Nail your branding - 3 to 6 months

Now that you’ve gotten this far, it’s time to really look at your brand and make sure it speaks to the people who are most likely to love your work and feels good to you. Your brand is the intersection of what you and your audience love so that your readers can create a nice little home for you in their heart and know the exact vibes you’re going to put in there. The more cohesive you can make your brand, and the louder it speaks to what you do, the easier it will be for people to know they are in the right (or wrong) place, and get them to buy into your writing quicker. Lots of people won’t even give your writing a chance if they don’t think they are in the right place, so this is about giving as many people as possible the chance to give your writing a try.

Common mistake: Inconsistent branding - Your brand should be a natural extension of your voice and your audience’s expectations. If your branding is all over the place, like spending one week professional and the next casual, with no clear throughline, it can confuse your readers. A cohesive brand builds trust, so don’t overlook this stage.

Exercise: Create a mood board or a brand style guide that visually represents your work’s tone, values, and aesthetics. This can include colors, fonts, imagery, and words that represent your brand. Share this with a few trusted readers or peers and get feedback on whether it aligns with how they perceive your work.

Stage 6: Nail your offer - 3 to 6 months

Now that you know what you’re writing, why you’re writing, how you’re writing, where you’re writing, and who will read it, only now does it make sense to start selling something. However, nailing your offer isn’t just about having something to sell. It’s about finding the right product that aligns with both your audience’s needs and your personal strengths.

In earlier stages, you’ve likely experimented with a few products or services. Maybe you tried selling an ebook, offering a course, or launching a membership. Now it’s time to take a step back and evaluate which of those felt most authentic to you and resonated best with your audience. Here’s how to approach this stage in more detail:

Evaluate Early Data: Look at any experiments you’ve run in the past. What products sold the most? Which ones led to the highest engagement or satisfaction? Just because something didn’t make a lot of money doesn’t mean it wasn’t valuable. Pay attention to feedback and how much joy you got from delivering the offer.
Refine Based on Audience Feedback: At this stage, your audience should be fairly established. Use their feedback to shape your offer. Did they express interest in certain types of content or products you haven’t fully explored yet? Consider running a quick survey or hosting a Q&A to get direct input on what they want to see from you next.
Test Smaller Offers: Before locking into a larger, long-term product, start with smaller, limited-time offers. For instance, if you’re thinking about launching a full course, try offering a one-time webinar first. If you’re considering a paid subscription, start with a low-commitment product like a digital download or mini-course to gauge interest.
Align with Your Brand: Make sure that what you’re selling fits seamlessly into your brand and voice. If your writing or content has been about helping creators find their voice, your offer should logically extend from that base. Whether it’s a coaching package, a workshop, or a resource guide, the best offers feel like a natural progression of your core message.
Create a Value Ladder: Instead of thinking about one product, think about how you can offer a range of products at different price points. For example, a value ladder might start with a free ebook, move up to a paid course, and then lead to a more personalized, premium service like one-on-one coaching. This way, you can attract readers at different stages of their journey with you.

Common mistake: Launching too soon without a clear offer - Some creators rush to monetize without fully understanding what their audience wants or what they’re best suited to offer. This can lead to frustration and missed opportunities. Don’t be afraid to test and tweak your offers before committing to a large-scale launch.

Exercise: Develop two to three different offers that reflect what you enjoy creating and what your audience has shown interest in. Test these offers with limited-time sales or pre-orders, and evaluate which brings in the most engagement, satisfaction, and revenue. This will help you hone in on your core product that can form the foundation of your business.

By the time you’ve nailed your offer, you’ll have a clear sense of what works for you and your audience. From here, scaling becomes much easier because you’re no longer guessing. Now, you have data and feedback to guide you.

Stage 7: Nail your scale - 6 to 120 months

By this point, you should have a killer offer, an amazing audience, great products that make you money, a cohesive brand, and you should be growing pretty well organically. At this point, when you already have a little fyre, it’s time to throw gasoline on it. You’ve probably done some PR in the past, or guest blogging, or even ads, but now it’s time to put growth strategies into overdrive…because now it will pay off. So many people do this work in the wrong order, and it fails because they don’t have the other bits in place first. Growth tools are great assets for people who are ready to scale, but they don’t have great ROI until you have a fire going. If you don’t know you’ve built fire, then you probably need to go back and make the other bits work better.

Common mistake: Scaling without a solid foundation - One of the biggest mistakes creators make is trying to scale before they have a strong foundation. Scaling efforts, like paid advertising or PR, can backfire if your offer, brand, or audience isn’t fully developed. Another mistake is scaling too quickly without the systems to handle the increased demand, which can lead to burnout or customer dissatisfaction. Make sure you’ve fine-tuned the earlier stages and built the right infrastructure before trying to grow exponentially.

Exercise: Develop a growth plan that includes one paid strategy (e.g., Facebook ads or sponsored posts) and one organic strategy (e.g., guest posts, collaborations). Implement these over a three-month period, and track their ROI carefully. Be prepared to scale or adjust based on what works best.

Building a sustainable and thriving publication takes time, intention, and a willingness to embrace the process. Each stage of growth is a step toward not just becoming a better creator but also refining your message, your brand, and the connection you build with your audience. Remember, these stages aren’t linear, and it’s normal to revisit earlier steps as you evolve.

The key to long-term success is patience and persistence. Growth doesn't happen overnight, and the creators who find the most fulfillment are the ones who continue to experiment, learn, and adapt. By focusing on developing your style, voice, platform, audience, brand, offer, and scaling with intention, you’ll be well on your way to building something meaningful.

As you move through these stages, keep in mind that the journey is uniquely yours. Don’t compare your timeline to anyone else’s, and allow yourself the grace to grow at your own pace. Ultimately, the most important thing is that you create work you’re proud of and that resonates with the audience who values it.

What do you think?

Which stage of growth do you feel you’re currently in, and what’s been your biggest challenge so far?
What’s one thing you’re experimenting with in your writing or platform right now, and how’s it going?
If you could focus on improving one area—style, voice, platform, audience, branding, or offer—what would it be, and why?

Let us know in the comments.