How to Position Yourself as a Substack Writer
So the ones looking for you can find you!
Hello you 🤍
So here’s a super important subject:
How to Position Yourself as a Substack Writer - So the ones looking for you can find you!
Who Are You, Really?
Isn’t that one of the most important things—to take a moment, pause, step back, and reflect?
Who are you, what do you offer (what value do you bring), and how do you offer or package it?
I mean, I remember I once read a quote saying something like: be yourself so the ones looking for you can find you.
And that’s so true.
The same goes for your positioning as a writer or as an expert.
Let’s stop here for a moment and dive into the definition of positioning:
Positioning is the way you define and communicate who you are, what you stand for, and who you are for.
It is how you take everything you do, think, and create—and shape it into something clear enough that others can understand, remember, and choose you for.
Positioning is not about becoming someone else. It is about becoming clear enough in who you already are, so the right people can recognize themselves in your work.
It sits at the intersection of identity, value, and communication:
what you do, why it matters, and why it is meant for a specific group of people—not everyone.In simple terms:
Positioning is how you make yourself findable.
Becoming Clear on Your Direction
Once I started to write here on my Substack, I knew that my topic was life design.
And that was it.
Everything from there developed through steps taken, trial and error.
Which is how I think a creative should—and must—work.
(I wrote an article about that the other day, please read along if you feel like it: ‘‘Something in me knows where I’m going.” - How to find clarity, trust yourself, and follow the path that’s revealing itself one step at a time.’’)
How do you know what feels good and right before you step out there and expose it to the sun and people?
Only in that moment will you know if it works.
We need to put our projects not only on a boat, but on a boat in the water, and see how the environment and the ones living there react to it.
A Gentle Reminder on Simplicity
I would love to keep it short today since my latest articles have been quite long.
I hope you loved them too.
Let’s first start with these questions:
What is positioning?
Why position yourself?
A guide on how to do it
Please, I know it sounds a bit commercial, but this is you and your art that we’re talking about.
Sit still, grab a pen and paper, do the exercise, and be smarter on the other side.
Or not smarter—but have more clarity.
Clarity is the productive and meaningful way forward.
What is Positioning?
Positioning is the way you define and communicate who you are, what you do, and who your work is for.
It is the space you choose to take in the mind of others—through clarity, consistency, and intention. Not by trying to appeal to everyone, but by becoming recognizable to the right people.
At its core, positioning is about making choices:
what you focus on, what you leave out, and how you express your value in a way that can be understood.
It is not about fitting into a category—it is about shaping how your work is perceived.
In simple terms:
Positioning is how you take up space, clearly enough that the right people can find you and understand why you matter to them.
Why Position Yourself?
Because without positioning, your work becomes difficult to see, understand, and remember.
Positioning gives your ideas a clear place to land in the minds of others. It helps people quickly recognize what you do, who you help, and why it matters—without confusion or guessing.
When you position yourself, you stop trying to be everything to everyone. Instead, you become specific enough to be chosen by the right people.
It also brings direction to your own work. Instead of constantly shifting, you begin to build with intention. You make decisions faster, communicate more clearly, and attract opportunities that actually fit you.
In simple terms:
Positioning is what turns your work from something people scroll past into something people can understand, remember, and come back to.
A Guide on How to Do It
Positioning is not something you figure out once and then lock forever. It is something you shape through clarity, action, and feedback over time.
Start by looking inward first:
What do you naturally care about? What themes keep showing up in your thinking, writing, or work? Don’t try to invent something new—notice what is already there.
Then move to the outside:
Who tends to resonate with your ideas? Who do you actually want to help or speak to? Positioning becomes clearer when you stop speaking broadly and start speaking to someone specific.
