💡 30 Proven Prompts to Write Better Substack Posts

My full list of go-to formats, post ideas, and spicy content prompts to keep the momentum going.

Hey Sutoscientists,

After I dropped my post on how to build a $100,000 Substack in 12 months, I got a wave of replies asking the same question:

“Okay, but what do I actually write about?”

Which is fair. The calendar is cute, but content is the lifeblood. If you’re staring down a blank page wondering what to put in your next post — I got you.

Whether you’re running a personal essay-driven newsletter like what you’re reading right now here at 💡 Sutoscience or building a community-powered one like ✍️ Make Writing Your Job or 📣 Make Marketing Your Job, these 30 prompts will unstick your creativity and keep your audience coming back for more.

(And yes — even if you’re a community-first Substack, don’t skip the storytelling. A well-placed essay or behind-the-scenes drop builds trust fast.)

Let’s dig in:

💬 1. Five Things I’d Tell You If I Wasn’t Afraid of Hurting Your Feelings

Spicy, honest, and impossible to ignore. The format? “5 things I’d tell you about [your topic] if I wasn’t afraid of hurting your feelings.” Works in every niche: writing, freelancing, money, tech, parenting, whatever.

This is a popular short-form video format right now, and I’m honestly surprised I haven’t seen more Substack posts with this format yet. (I may or may not be planning some posts around this theme!)

📈 2. How I Did X and How You Can Do Y

This is the go-to format that built my Substack. It’s the format I used for my posts💡 How I’d Turn a Brand-New Newsletter Into $100,000 in 12 Months as well as ✍️ How I Made $300,000+ on Upwork that I wrote over at Make Writing Your Job.

These articles are part story, part strategy. And the revelation or idea you’re sharing doesn’t have to be world-shattering — “how I journaled for 30 days and my best advice for starting a journaling habit in 2026” works just as well.

Just think about something you’ve done that others might want to learn about from you, and write the post giving them your advice and firsthand experience.

🔬 3. The Experiment Post

Don’t have a win or story you can teach people about? That’s fine — instead, start a challenge and bring your readers along for the ride!

Share a post that says “I’m going to try X for 30 days.” This turns into a post series, gives you built-in accountability, and your readers get to root for you (or cringe with you) in real time.

Starting a series can be a great way to hook readers and pique their curiosity about whether or not you’re going to reach your goal.