This Was March on Substack (and Beyond)

March was a quiet month on Substack... at least on the surface.

The platform rolled out a couple of new features, reach numbers dipped across the board, and growth slowed down for many of us. Substack seems to be experimenting with its algorithm again, and I definitely felt it.

But behind the scenes? It was anything but quiet for me. I launched Still Becoming and got the first 100 subscribers (Thank you!!), worked intensively with my clients on their Substacks, and had a few wins worth sharing.

Here’s everything that happened in March.

March brought a few platform updates worth knowing about.

The one that got everyone talking was scheduled Notes. You can now draft your Notes and set them to go out later, which is great. But it also stirred up some feelings. For a lot of people this felt like another step toward Substack becoming a full-on social media platform, and not everyone is thrilled about that.

Then there’s templates in the post editor. This one flew a bit under the radar but I love it. If you have elements you use in every post, you can save them as templates now. No more hunting through old posts, copying, pasting, reformatting. Everything right where you need it.

And my personal favorite: you can now pin multiple posts in each section on your homepage. This changes how much control you have over what people see when they first land on your page. If you haven’t played with this yet, go try it.

Despite the new features, March was a slow month for a lot of us when it comes to growth. Views were down, subscriber numbers moved slower than usual, and the overall reach just felt... off. I noticed it on my own publications and I've been hearing the same from other creators too. It really seems like Substack is tweaking its algorithm behind the scenes, testing things, shifting what gets surfaced and how. There's no official word on it, but if your numbers looked a little deflated this month, you're not imagining it. It wasn't just you.

My best-performing Note this month:

I had other Notes that got plenty of likes, some even more than this one, but they didn’t bring in nearly as many new subscribers. When I looked at why, the pattern was pretty clear. Those high-like Notes were short, general thoughts that people agreed with and moved on. This one was a personal mini-story that said something about me, about how I think. And that’s what made people curious enough to actually hit subscribe.

My best-performing post:

Substack Just Told You Where It's Heading. Did You Notice?

I keep seeing the same thing play out with my posts. The ones that do really well are never the how-to pieces. They're the ones where I connect the dots, share an original take, and help the reader feel like they understand where Substack is heading and what to pay attention to next.

Even though the numbers were quiet, personally this was one of the busiest months I’ve had in a while. I finally launched Still Becoming, which felt like a big deal after thinking about it for so long. Then I intentionally slowed down with it because I wanted to sit with a few things before rushing into the next step. Sometimes you need to launch something just to see it out in the world and then figure out what it actually wants to become.

On top of that, I spent a lot of time deep in my clients’ Substacks. I love this work, it’s genuinely one of my favorite things to do, but it takes a lot out of me. The kind of focus it requires doesn’t leave much creative energy for my own stuff. And honestly, that’s okay. April is already looking lighter and I’ve got a few days in Naples coming up to recharge, eat well, and come back with fresh eyes for everything that’s next.

Every month I pick someone from this community whose Substack I find genuinely interesting and ask them a few questions about how they got here.

Meet Alison, who was diagnosed with breast cancer at 40. Now she writes about living through it and living after it on It's Cancer, Baby. I asked her 5 quick questions and got five honest answers.

Andi: How would you describe the world you’re building on Substack?

Alison: A supportive, honest space for women navigating cancer, both during treatment and after. When you come to my page, I want it to feel like you’re sitting with a dear friend, someone who understands what you’re going through. You’ll find personal, heartfelt essays and also more lifestyle-oriented content that make this experience feel a little more manageable (and perhaps even a little fun!).

What was the push that made you start writing and sharing your story?

Alison: I’ve always worked as a writer, first as a journalist and now in content. But I had never shared anything personal. I think I was too afraid that it might confirm my worst fear: that I wasn’t a good enough writer. That changed after I went through treatment for breast cancer. I struggled to find the info I craved — the practical stuff (like what foods to eat during chemo) along with the emotional reality (like how to live with the fear of recurrence). So I decided to create what I couldn’t find.

What would you tell your Day 1 self on Substack?

Alison: What you have to say is valuable. Soon you’ll have more than one follower! Just keep going and stay consistent. And don’t sleep on Substack Notes. That’s where most of your growth will come from.

What keeps you showing up, even on the hard days?

Alison: I made a promise to myself that I would stick with this. In the past, I’ve sometimes given up on creative projects, but this time I am fully committed. Hearing from readers that something I wrote made them feel less alone is what keeps me going. It gives the work real meaning.

What are you working on right now that excites you most?

Alison: I’m collaborating with a meditation teacher to create a series of guided meditations specifically for people going through cancer treatment and recovery. It’s something I wish I had and I’m excited to bring it to life.

---

Your turn

So that was March. What about you? Did your numbers dip too or was it just me? Anything that surprised you this month? I’m curious. Let me know in the comments.