You Suck at SubStack Thanks to ChatGPT

You Suck at SubStack Thanks to ChatGPT

Excuse my crassness from the start but I have to let this off my chest: I can tell when you're using ChatGPT to write your SubStack posts. And by “I”, I really mean all your followers and non-followers who will now never follow you because you sound like a heartless bot.

For context, do also wanna state that AI is NOT inherently bad. It’s that you’re using it wrong… and too often…and because of it, it’s costing you attention, subscribers, and growth.

Let’s take a time machine back to 2024 (oOoOoOoh)….

A year ago, AI-generated writing still had that “shiny new toy” energy. People (including moi) played with ChatGPT, marveled at its coherence, and unfortunately sometimes mistook it for actual talent.

Now? It’s background noise.

When I click on a newsletter that starts with “In today’s fast-paced digital landscape…”, I close the tab and think “Bruh, really?! When the F did you start writing like a 72yr NASDAQ commentator?”

(PssssSSST: listen to the audio on how this shouldn’t be confused with website/SEO writing aimed to sell a product)

No shit you didn’t write this. Or if you did, you did it with a lazy prompt and zero soul.

So how can you sustainably write on SubStack without burning out?

• Use AI to help you think, NOT to replace your human not-so-perfect-thinking
  Write the darn piece yourself. Then you can ask it to brainstorm different angles you may not have thought of. You can also ask it to challenge your assumptions. But again my friends, write the piece yourself.

• Embrace Le Mess.
  Yeah.. it’s okay.. sometimes we skip a typo. This is something my mom alwayssssssss texts me about : “You didn’t spellcheck!!!” Yeah well, atleast my audience knows it’s me behind the computer and not a bot. I make mistakes. It’s okay.

• Develop a recognizable voice.
  Read your posts out loud. No seriously, do it. If it doesn’t sound like you (and let’s be honest, you’re not Lady Whistledown), rewrite it. Ask a friend, “Does this feel like me?” If it doesn’t, start over.

• Be Authentic.
  In the Idalia bible, being disingenuous is the worst sin. AI writing often includes cringyyyyyyyyy faux-vulnerability like:
  “I used to struggle with consistency, but now I realize…”
  No you didn’t bruh. You copied and pasted that sentence from a template or (even worse) from a LinkedIn post.

The whole point of being on Substack is to create a genuine intimacy with your readers. Thus, your readers signed up to hear you. Not your AI intern. Not a rephrased version of someone else's Medium post. If you want subscribers here (and I’m talking actual, loyal humans who read your work and share it) ya gotta show up with your own voice, your own flaws, and your own weird little tangents.

AI can be a brilliant assistant. But if you're letting it do your thinking, your storytelling, and your connecting for you, readers will notice. And they'll unsubscribe.

BTW, are you Subscribed to mine yet?

Don't forget to subscribe to my FREE Substack for more in-depth strategy, free messaging (can't wait to connect with you), exclusive videos, online course discounts, andddddd live video sessions. 

XX Idalia