💡 How I’d Turn a Brand-New Newsletter Into $100,000 in 12 Months

Plus: learnings from growing my own Substack to over $186,000+ in annual recurring revenue in just 12 months.

Hey Sutoscientists,

I didn’t stumble into a six-figure Substack. I built one — ✍️ Make Writing Your Job — brick by brick until it was pulling in more than $186,000+ a year and sitting pretty at #24 on the Business Bestsellers Substack leaderboard.

I’m so proud of this community and the writers we’ve helped, and this journey has been both surreal and deeply meaningful for me.

I’m here to help you scale faster than I did when I was making rookie mistakes at the start of my journey!

And here’s the part people never believe until they see the receipts: most of that happened in a single year.

Which means 2026 is wide open for you. Six-figure Substack. No boss. No beige cubicle. Just you, your voice, and a platform that actually pays writers.

And before anyone says “well maybe that was a one-time lightning strike,” let me stop you. This Substack — 💡 Sutoscience — and my newest one, 📣 Make Marketing Your Job, have both hit the Business Rising leaderboard at the same time. They’re already marching toward their own six-figure years in 2026.

lucky to be in some great company on the Rising Bestsellers List ❤️

On top of that, the authors and founders I consult for on Substack are seeing real traction using the same frameworks. When one of my book clients want Substack to fuel their launches, we plug in the strategy and watch the numbers move.

(BTW — if you’re interested in scheduling a one-off consulting session you can let me know by replying to this email or sending me a DM. My availability is limited, and for paid subscribers I have a link to book time with me at the bottom of this post.)

So here’s the real point: if you’re willing to show up, write with intention, and play this platform like the powerful tool it is, I’ve got the roadmap. And I can help you build the writing life that doesn’t just pay the bills — it pays you to walk away from that corporate job or past life that you’ve outgrown.

Alright, let’s build your six-figure Substack year.

(Quick disclaimer before the internet police show up in my inbox: I cannot guarantee you’ll hit $100,000 in annual recurring revenue. Nobody can. But if I woke up tomorrow with zero subscribers and had to rebuild a six-figure Substack from scratch in 2026, this is exactly what I’d do, month by month.)

Think of it as a blueprint, not a prophecy.

By the way, everything below the paywall is where we stop guessing and start getting surgical.

⚡️ Here’s what paid subscribers will read about in the rest of this post:

• A month-by-month blueprint from December 2025 through December 2026. Exactly what to focus on each month so you’re not guessing: from setting your niche and model in December to debriefing and optimizing next December.

• The content and growth moves that matter when they matter. When to flip paid on, when to lean harder on Notes, when to bring in collaborations and Substack Lives, and when to push seasonal moments like Valentine’s Day, “back to school,” and Black Friday.

• How to design a posting rhythm you can actually stick to. Concrete guidance on cadence, repurposing, and how to build a top-of-funnel engine around every single post instead of shouting into the void.

• A year-long plan for pricing, discounts, and conversion. When to consider raising prices, when to run discounts (and who to send them to), how to think about gift subs, and how to turn all of that into more ARR instead of random one-off bumps.

• Systems so you don’t burn out halfway through. How to use mid-year checkpoints, ops, batching, and light support to keep your Substack growing while you travel, rest, or deal with real life.

In other words: this isn’t “post more and hope.” It’s a full 12-month operating plan you can steal, adapt, and run with.

✍️ If you want 2026 to be the year you stop “thinking about” your Substack and actually turn it into an income engine, becoming a paid subscriber here is your first real bet on yourself.

(And if you’re already a paid subscriber, thank you — the rest of this roadmap is waiting for you below.)

⬇️ Hit the button, unlock the rest of this roadmap, and let’s build your year of Substack on purpose instead of vibes: