How To Grow & Monetize On Substack (21K+ Subscribers!)

Looking to grow and monetize a Substack newsletter, but not sure where to start?

Then you’re in the right place!

Email newsletters have become one of the most reliable ways for travel bloggers to grow their audience and earn a consistent income.

And Substack—a platform designed for writers—makes it easier than ever to publish, promote, and even monetize a newsletter without needing complex tech.

But how do you actually create a newsletter on Substack that attracts readers and turns them into paying subscribers?

That’s exactly what our guest, award-winning travel writer and author Tim Leffel, will be breaking down for us. He’s successfully grown his Nomadico Substack newsletter to over 21,000 subscribers and counting, and has turned it into a successful monetization stream.

Today, he’ll be sharing his best tips to help you do the same.

💻 Bonus: This episode of The Profitable Travel Blogger Podcast includes options for learning through audio, video, or a text guide below!

💡Quick Substack tips:
-Substack is free to use, and they only take a small percentage of your earnings from paid subscriptions.
-Substack makes it easy to cross-promote with other newsletter creators through its built-in “Recommendations” feature, which can help you grow faster.
-From paid subscriptions to affiliate marketing, there are many ways to make money on Substack; however, it isn’t the best option for more complex sales funnels.

🎁 Bonus: Grab my free Travel Blogger Resource Library, which includes a Substack Success Cheat Sheet based on Tim’s tips! You’ll also get access to 75+ resources that can help you grow your traffic, email list, and income.

How To Grow & Monetize On Substack [Audio & Video]

2) Let’s start with the basics. What are the key advantages of using Substack for travel bloggers, especially compared to general email marketing platforms?

The big difference is that Substack lives in public. People can discover your newsletter even if they’re not subscribed.

It also has a network effect: readers get recommendations for similar travel newsletters, which helps you reach people who might not have found you otherwise and grow your list. This is one of the easiest ways to get Substack subscribers.

Unlike tools like Kit or Mailchimp, Substack isn’t really built for product-heavy businesses or complex funnels. It’s more of a platform for writers, journalists, and creatives. That means readers are there for genuine content (vs constantly being sold to).

3) When launching on Substack, how do you recommend bloggers define their niche or focus so their newsletter stands out?

Definitely spend time figuring out your niche before you launch. Take a day, go for a walk, and really think about what your focus will be — because you’ll be sticking with it for a while.

Ideally, your Substack newsletter should complement your blog, not copy of it. Maybe it dives deeper into a particular topic or format.

For instance, while my travel blogs help people find cheap destinations to live and travel, each issue of Nomadico shares four tips for digital nomads and remote workers.

What matters most is clarity, both in your niche and your publishing schedule. I’ve found that consistent publishing (in my case, once per week) makes a big difference in growth.

4) Your newsletter, Nomadico, now reaches over 21,000 subscribers. What strategies helped you build that audience on Substack?

Some of it happened organically, but I used collaboration to grow faster. I partnered with the team behind Recomendo, who promoted Nomadico in their newsletter. That brought in about 2,000 subscribers from day one.

After that, it was slow and steady growth — a few hundred new readers a month, plus occasional spikes when other newsletters recommended us. That recommendation system has been huge.

What’s interesting is we’ve never done giveaways or opt-in freebies for this one. We just have clear positioning. Our ideal Substack reader is a “working traveler,” someone who works remotely while exploring the world. That focus helps the right people stick around.

6) You’ve created multiple revenue streams on Substack: paid subscriptions, direct “unclassifieds” ads, and affiliate marketing. Can you walk us through how each of those works and best practices for seeing success?

The main Substack monetization methods are:

• Paid subscriptions: If you’ve ever thought of starting a paid newsletter, Substack makes it easy. Readers can opt into a paid tier for bonus perks like our eBook, which is a curated roundup of top travel resources, and quarterly Q&As.

• Unclassified ads: These are short, tweet-length ads at the bottom of each issue. They’re often from travel-relevant brands — things like medical evacuation services, driver’s license companies, or other newsletters.
• Affiliate links: I’ll promote affiliate links when they fit naturally, such as Amazon products, Travelpayouts links, or transportation sites like Omio and Busbud. Or we might put an affiliate product in place of an unclassified ad if we don’t sell out, though we usually do!

7) Many bloggers sell digital products or run launches. Does Substack work well for things like product launches, sales funnels, or pop-up promotions?

Yes, but keep it simple. Substack lets you send a welcome email and one or two follow-ups, but it’s not built for complex sales funnels.

It’s great for soft promotions. One way I monetize my blog is by selling multi-day tours, which I’ll mention at the bottom of an issue, like “Hey, want to come skiing with me in Slovakia?” It’s casual and fits the tone of the newsletter.

If you sell courses, books, or products related to your niche, Substack can be an excellent place to promote them. Just make sure they’re relevant to your readers.

8) What kind of content and publishing frequency have you found keeps engagement high and subscribers opening your emails?

Once a week works perfectly for us. Our open rate stays between 50–60% every week, which is strong.

The key is a tight, predictable format. Each issue has four short sections offering quick reads that are useful and easy to scan. Readers know exactly what to expect, and that consistency keeps them engaged.

9) Beyond content and timing, what specific tactics help you retain paid subscribers and encourage renewals?

We’ve had really steady numbers. Whenever someone cancels, someone else seems to join. I offer quarterly Q&A calls and keep communication open, but I don’t push too hard.

One tip: Substack lets you include a small upgrade reminder button at the end of your emails. I use that once every month or two.

And definitely keep your list clean. If people haven’t opened your emails in six months, send a re-engagement note or remove them. It helps your stats and overall deliverability.