Substack Almost Killed My Product. Here's What I Did

And why it was the best thing that happened

In December, WriteStack was just getting started.

By March, it felt like something real was happening. Subscribers tripling, new users signing up every day, the kind of momentum that makes you think you've finally figured something out.

Every single metric was going up and to the right. the kind of growth curve you screenshot and post about at 1 am because you can’t believe it’s real. It felt so good. The product was working. People were paying. All I could imagine is what happens if this growth continues until the end of the year.

Then, Substack announced they were building a native Notes scheduler.

The exact feature that brought in more than 40% of all new subscribers.

This is the story of what happened next and why it turned out to be the best thing that could have happened to WriteStack.

Then Substack Built What I Built

I was on vacation at the time I found out.

After working endlessly for more than a year to build WriteStack, I decided it was time to take a short 4-week break from everything. No coding, no new features. Only scheduled content and support tickets.

One casual night, 14 days in, I did what used to be a routine for me. I searched “WriteStack” and “Schedule Notes” on Substack to see if anyone was talking about it.

Then I saw a Note saying Substack had released a native scheduler.

I assumed it was a troll. But I opened my laptop and tried anyway.

It happened. Substack released a native scheduler. No need to leave your computer running anymore for Notes to go out.

I opened my Stripe dashboard. 25 cancellations within the hour.

What I Did About It

I knew this day would come. I was mentally prepared to integrate it, so users wouldn’t have to leave their computer running anymore.

But knowing something is coming and watching it happen are two different things.

I told my fiancée what happened and that I’d need to shorten our days until the integration was done. She completely understood.

For the next 7 days, while she was getting tanned on the beach, I sat in the shade with my laptop, coding the new integration, fixing bugs, sending emails, posting updates. While we ate at a cool Thai restaurant, I took calls with users to figure out what wasn’t working.

It was a tense week. But I had to make it happen.

7 days after Substack’s scheduler was released, it was fully integrated into WriteStack. I finally had some time to breathe.

What Happened Next

The integration changed everything. But not instantly.

The users who stayed weren’t staying because they had no alternative. They were staying because WriteStack was actually worth it to them.

The #1 cancellation reason, by far (60% of all cancellations) was “have to keep my computer running for notes to go out.” With that gone, the users joining WriteStack now are stickier. And I started seeing something I hadn’t seen before: renewals. People who had unsubscribed were coming back.

The churn rate, which used to sit at 20-25%, dropped to 4.5%. The lowest it has ever been.

What I Learned

Platforms evolve. Your code should too.

Substack can change at any point and I must be able to adapt quickly. Before this, my scheduling code was a complete mess. Duplicates, different routes for the same thing. Now everything goes through the same pipeline. If Substack releases an API tomorrow, the integration is a piece of cake.

I don’t wait for the threat anymore. I build for it.

Keep your users informed at all times.

When big shifts happen, let your users know what’s up. I sent at least one email a day with updates on the integration, and at least one Note. I was upfront about bugs, even when I could have blamed Substack’s new scheduler.

I prefer being honest over looking good. If I break something, I’ll tell you. But I’ll also fix it.

The response blew me away. Users replied saying they were behind me, that they couldn’t wait for the new integration. I got more support from being transparent than I ever got from being polished.

Nothing is as bad as it seems. Breathe.

When that first wave of users left, I thought the house of cards was coming apart.

As the days passed, I realized I was exaggerating. BIG TIME. Users told me they wouldn’t have minded keeping their computer running.

WriteStack was valuable enough. That was a massive surprise to me.

The product was always worth more than I gave it credit for.

Final Thought

Looking back, I’m glad Substack released a native scheduler.

Every founder I’ve talked to and every book I’ve read says the same thing: for a SaaS to stay strong, the number one focus has to be churn. Not acquisition. Not features. Churn.

The benchmarks: Minimum: under 10% Good: 5–8% Gold standard: under 5%

WriteStack is now at 4.5%.

I used to get cancellation emails every single day. Now I get maybe three a week.

The users who are here are here because they want to be. That’s the only foundation worth building on.

My next goal is simple: keep building something people don't want to leave.

The future is bright for WriteStack.