The 90-Day Sprint to $10K/Month on Substack: The Blueprint
The step-by-step 90-day sprint with exact posts, Notes, and targets to turn your newsletter into a $10K/month business.
Most people launch a Substack newsletter full of excitement, write a handful of posts, then stall out.
Why? Because they don’t have a plan.
They don’t know how often to publish. They don’t know how to use Substack Notes. They don’t know how to push free subscribers into paid. And they definitely don’t know what milestones they should be hitting at each stage.
That’s where creators get stuck.
The good news? There’s a blueprint.
This is the exact 90-day plan I’d follow if I were starting from scratch today. It’s aggressive. It requires focus. But if you execute, it can take you from $0 to $10,000 in monthly recurring revenue in just three months.
And if you want to move faster, with proven systems, templates, and strategies, I built Substack Bestseller Academy to give you the full playbook. This article is the roadmap. The Academy is the shortcut.
Phase 1: Foundation (Days 1–30)
Most people never even make it out of Phase 1.
They get stuck in “launch paralysis.” They overthink their niche. They spend weeks tweaking colors, logos, and names instead of doing the only thing that matters: publishing and growing.
If you want to hit $10K/month, you can’t afford to waste your first 30 days. Phase 1 is about getting your newsletter live, publishing on a strict cadence, and building your very first audience. Your only goal is proof of life: Can I attract 1,000 free subscribers and convert my first 50 into paying ones?
Here’s how.
Step 1: Nail Your Positioning
Your Substack has to answer one question instantly: “Why should I subscribe?”
Don’t bury it in clever branding. Keep it crystal clear.
☑ Define your niche in one sentence: “I help [audience] achieve [result] by [method].”
☑ Pick a clear name and tagline that explains the value.
💡 Example: “The Creator’s Playbook: Weekly systems and strategies to turn your audience into income.”
This positioning becomes the spine of your growth. Every post, every Note, every pitch has to ladder back to it.
Step 2: Set Your Pricing Immediately
Too many creators wait until they’ve “earned” the right to charge. That’s a mistake. If you want $10K/month, train your audience from day one that your work has value.
☑ Set monthly pricing at $10/month.
☑ Add an annual plan at $100/year (a 20% discount).
☑ Don’t offer free forever — start with free + paid tiers from launch.
💡 Even if only 5% convert early, that’s your proof of concept.
Step 3: Publish on a Strict Cadence
Your cadence is your contract with your readers. Break it, and you break trust.
☑ Publish 1 free post per week (shareable, broad, top-of-funnel).
☑ Publish 1 paid post per week (depth, exclusivity, irresistible value).
☑ Total in Month 1 = 8 posts.
💡 Pro tip: Write your first 2 weeks of posts before you launch. That way you never start behind.
Step 4: Go All-In on Notes
Notes are Substack’s growth engine and most creators ignore them. Don’t.
☑ Publish 2–3 Notes per day.
☑ Mix content: quick insights, hooks from your posts, links back to your newsletter.
☑ Comment on 10 Notes/day from other creators.
💡 Think of Notes as your “top-of-funnel ads” except they’re free.
Step 5: Growth Activities That Compound
Your newsletter won’t grow itself. You need to be aggressive about putting it in front of new readers.
☑ Reach out to 20 creators in your niche for recommendation swaps.
☑ Chop every free post into 3–5 social snippets (tweets, LinkedIn posts, IG carousels).
☑ Add subscribe CTAs everywhere (bio, email signature, pinned post.)
💡 Growth isn’t passive. Treat it like a daily task, not a background wish.
Targets for Phase 1 (Day 30)
By the end of your first 30 days, here’s what you should hit if you execute:
☑ 1,000 free subscribers.
☑ 50 paid subscribers (~5% conversion).
☑ $500 MRR.
Why These Targets Matter
At this point, you’re not rich but you’re validated. You’ve proven three critical things:
People want your free content.
At least some people will pay for your paid content.
The system works: publish → promote → convert.
Most newsletters never even prove this. They fizzle out before 1,000 subs. If you hit these numbers in 30 days, you’ve already broken through the noise.
If you don’t publish 8 times and post 60+ Notes in your first month, you’re not giving yourself a chance.