Taeho Kim
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Can the Right Substack Tags Really Grow Your Audience 10x? preview image

Can the Right Substack Tags Really Grow Your Audience 10x?

1. The Beginning: How Did They Get 45,000 Subscribers in 6 Months?

"How did you get 45,000 subscribers in 6 months?" Many people asked. "Was it your writing style?", "Did you spend money on ads?", "Did you bring an existing audience?"

But the truth is simple yet complex. I figured out how to strategically leverage Substack's Discovery system. In particular, I properly utilized the tag system that most writers misunderstand.

"Substack tags don't work like Twitter or Instagram hashtags. They're completely different."

2. Misconceptions About Substack Tags and Experimental Results

Most writers use Substack tags simply as hashtags. But I tested them and got entirely different results.

  • Experiment: Wrote two articles on similar topics

    • Article A: Popular hashtag style (#entrepreneurship, #startups, #business)
    • Article B: Substack's actual category tags ("Business", "Technology")

  • Results:

    • Article A: 267 views, 2 new subscribers
    • Article B: 3,842 views, 41 new subscribers

"Why such a difference? Because Substack's Discovery system works differently than we think."

3. The Secret of Substack's Tag System

Substack has three tag systems operating simultaneously.

  1. Publication Tags
  • Set in Settings > Basics
  • Most writers set them once and forget, which is a big mistake.
  • Key point: Only the Primary Tag affects leaderboard rankings.

"Initially I set 'Technology' as my primary tag, but when I switched to 'Business,' subscriber growth rate increased by 47%."

  1. Post Tags
  • Different category tags can be set for each post
  • Example: Tagging a productivity tools article with "Health & Wellness" and "Technology" instead of "Business" yielded a 5x increase in views
  1. Topic Tags
  • Utilized on Substack's Topic Pages
  • Reaches readers interested in specific topics (e.g., OpenAI, Mental Health)

"When I tagged an article connecting AI development and business leaders with 'OpenAI' and 'Business,' it was featured on the OpenAI topic page and gained 362 new subscribers in a single day."

4. Tag Strategy: A Tool for 'Distribution,' Not Just Description

Most writers use tags to describe their article's content. But I use tags as a tool to determine which audience will see the article.

"When using tags, don't ask 'what is this article about?' Ask 'who should see this article?'"

  • Example: Paid subscription service launch article
    • Typical tag: "Announcements"
    • Strategic tags: "Business" + "Entrepreneurship"
    • Result: 212 paid subscriber conversions within 24 hours

5. Specific Tag Strategies

  1. Target Leaderboard Rankings with Publication Tags
  • Choose primary tags considering competition level and reader activity
  1. Maximize Discoverability with Post Tags
  • Try different tag combinations for each post
  1. Systematically Rotate Tag Combinations
  • Example:
    • Week 1: "Business" + "Entrepreneurship"
    • Week 2: "Business" + "Technology"
    • Week 3: "Culture" + "Business"
    • Week 4: "Philosophy" + "Business"
  • Result: "Philosophy" + "Business" combination performed 2.3x better
  1. Strengthen SEO and Reader Discovery with Custom Tags
  • Example: Created a "substack-growth" tag and used it on all related articles
  • Results:
    • First page on Google search results
    • Over 1,100 monthly visitors from search traffic
  1. The 'Double-Category Backdoor' Strategy
  • Combine a broad category with a niche interest
  • Example: "Business" + "Health & Wellness" reaches readers from both categories

6. Key Summary of the Tag Strategy

  • Publication tags: Set with leaderboard rankings as the goal
  • Post tags: Use diversely to maximize discoverability
  • Tag combination rotation: Track results and focus on successful combinations
  • Custom tag creation: Build content hubs for SEO and reader discovery
  • Distribution-first thinking: Use tags to ask "who should see this article?"

7. Workshop Announcement and Closing

If you want to learn all these strategies in depth, join this Thursday's workshop "The 45K Blueprint."

  • Content: Tag strategies, performance tracking templates, tag combination optimization methods, and more
  • Time: Thursday at 6 PM (EET)
  • Benefit: 30% discount on paid membership

"Substack's system keeps evolving. Early adopters who implement this strategy now will reap the biggest benefits."

8. Key Terms

  • Substack Tags
  • Discovery System
  • Primary Tag (Publication Tag)
  • Post Tags
  • Topic Tags
  • Tag Rotation
  • SEO Optimization
  • Double-Category Backdoor
  • Distribution Mindset