In the first part of our series, we looked at why writers and creators are ditching the algorithmic chaos of social media for the quiet intimacy of the email inbox. But once you decide to make the leap, you hit the ultimate hurdle: “What on earth am I actually going to write about?”
If you look at Substack’s leaderboard, it can feel intimidating. You’ll see political heavyweights, world-class chefs, and famous novelists. It is easy to think, The world doesn’t need another generic lifestyle blog.
And you’d be right. The world doesn’t need another generic blog. But what Substack has proven is that the internet is no longer about appealing to everyone—it is about finding your specific crowd.
The Death of “Lifestyle” (And the Rise of the Hyper-Specific)
In traditional media, success meant going broad. A magazine had to cover fashion, beauty, travel, and celebrity gossip all at once to sell enough copies to satisfy advertisers. On Substack, the exact opposite is true. The more specific you are, the faster you grow.
Think about it from a reader’s perspective. Your inbox is a sacred space. You aren’t going to give up your email address for “general thoughts on life.” But you will give it up for a writer who promises to solve a very specific curiosity.
Look at the UK creators who are absolutely winning at this game:
- Don’t write about “Baking”: Write like Nicola Lamb (Kitchen Projects), who focuses heavily on the actual science of pastry, dedicating entire, massive issues to testing how different flours affect a single tart crust.
- Don’t write about “Fashion”: Write like Tiffanie Darke (It’s Not Sustainable), who explores the complex, messy reality of loving style while trying to adhere to a rule of buying only five new items of clothing a year.
- Don’t write about “London”: Write like Jim Waterson (London Centric), who zeroes in on the inner workings of the capital’s media, power dynamics, and local subcultures.
Your niche isn’t a cage; it’s a lighthouse. It tells the exact right people where to find you.
How to Find Your Substack Sweet Spot
If you are trying to figure out your own angle for a newsletter, stop asking “What is popular?” and start asking yourself three simple questions:
- What do people constantly ask for your advice on? (Is it restaurant recommendations? Budget travel hacks? How to fix a broken wardrobe? Book recommendations?)
- What could you talk about for two hours straight without getting bored? (If you don’t have an obsession with your topic, you will burn out by week four.)
- What is the “missing perspective” in your favorite hobby? (What are the big publications ignoring or oversimplifying?)
The intersection of your obsession and a specific perspective is your Substack niche.
The Secret Weapon: The Substack Network Effect
The biggest fear for any new writer is launching to an empty room. On traditional blogging platforms like WordPress, you had to master SEO or fight for Google rankings just to get a single hit.
Substack solved this with something called the Recommendation Network.
When a reader signs up for a newsletter on Substack, the platform pops up a window saying, “The author of this newsletter also recommends these three publications.” If a bigger writer in your niche likes your work and recommends you, their readers can subscribe to you with a single click.
Substack isn’t a competitive arena where writers guard their audiences; it is an ecosystem where creators cross-promote. By finding your niche, you aren’t isolating yourself—you are positioning yourself to be discovered by peer writers who share your exact passion.
What’s Next?
Once you have your niche figured out and a few hundred free subscribers reading your weekly dispatches, a massive mental hurdle appears: Money. How do you transition from writing for fun to treating your newsletter like a business?
In part three of our Daily Waffle series, we are going to dive deep into The Psychology of the Paywall, breaking down how to decide what stays free, what goes behind a paid subscription, and how to confidently ask your community to support your work financially.
What’s a hyper-specific topic you could write about for hours? Let us know in the comments below, and don’t forget to share your favorite niche newsletters!
Photo by Christina Morillo: https://www.pexels.com/photo/person-using-macbook-air-1181555/
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