How to create content that fits your audience?

Hello, everyone. Welcome to the fourth episode of my Ask Me Anything podcast.

Every month I collect pressing questions about growing and monetizing a newsletter on Substack, and I answer them here.

If you want to have your question answered, reach out to me in the chat or post it here:

Here are the questions for today:

1. I don’t want to use AI because it’s not good quality and it's not authentic.

2. When you give advice, is it better to write about what not to do than what to do?

3. How do I know if something that’s simple to me is complex for someone else because in my head it’s like everyone would know because I know it?

4. People still don’t connect with me. Do you have any tips? Should I change my niche or type of writing?

5. What would you suggest to someone who wants to create their first offer? Do you have any resources you would point them to?

6. What do you suggest to people who struggle to find their niche and name thier audience?

7. What’s your biggest insight / tip from using notes as a fledgling writer?

8. What’s the best advice for editing?

9. How to create content that fits your audience?

10. What notes you write tends to get noticed?

And here are the answers in case you want to read:

Question 1: I don’t want to use AI because it’s not good quality and it's not authentic.

I hear that a lot.
But the truth is, that’s a false belief.

It usually comes from people who’ve only seen bad AI writing.
Or from people who haven’t learned how to use it properly.

Here’s the real truth:
AI doesn’t replace your voice. It amplifies it.

If you know how to use it well, AI can:
- Speed up the typing
- Help shape rough ideas into polished drafts
- Write in your tone, with your stories, your insights

It’s not meant to do the thinking for you.
It’s meant to help you produce more of what’s already yours.

It can be a great strategist, giving you ideas, helping your expand your thinking outside of your limiting beliefs, fears and boundaries.

AI is just a tool. A powerful one.
If the input is shallow, the output will be too.
But if you give it depth, clarity, and intent.
You can get 99% human, authentic content that still sounds exactly like you.

So no, AI isn’t inauthentic.
Not if you’re the one driving it.

Question 2: When you give advice, is it better to write about what not to do than what to do?

The real answer is: do both.
But always in a way that helps the reader, not just shares your experience.

Here's the difference:

Bad version:
I made this mistake. Don’t do that.
End of story.

Better version:
I made this mistake. Here’s what went wrong. And here’s what I do differently now, and why it works.

One leaves your reader with a warning.
The other gives them a solution.

So if you're going to talk about what not to do, make sure you follow it with:

· What works better

· Why it works

· How they can do it, too

That’s what turns a personal lesson into useful advice.
And that’s the kind of writing people come back for.

Question 3: How do I know if something that’s simple to me is complex for someone else because in my head it’s like everyone would know because I know it?

The moment you catch yourself thinking, that
Everyone probably already knows this… that’s your signal to share it.

Because they don’t.

That assumption that if I know it, it must be obvious to everyone else,
is one of the biggest blocks to creating high-value content.

Here’s the truth:
What’s obvious to you is life-changing to someone just a few steps behind.

You’ve already done the work.
You’ve already solved the problem.
You already see the pattern.

They haven’t.

That makes your “simple” insight a shortcut for them.
And people will gladly pay for shortcuts.

So don’t wait until your ideas feel groundbreaking.
Start with what feels basic.
That’s often where the real value is.

Question 4: People still don’t connect with me. Do you have any tips? Should I change my niche or type of writing?

Before you change your niche or your writing, ask yourself this:

Have you actually tried to connect with them?

Because most of the time, the real issue isn’t the niche.
It’s the energy.

You’re posting, but you’re not showing up as a person.
You’re writing, but you’re not being relatable.
You’re sharing, but you’re not engaging.

People connect with people, not content machines.
So the fix might be way simpler than you think.

Start here:

· Is your profile personal and warm, or does it read like a LinkedIn bio?

· Are you commenting on other people’s Notes, replying in Chat, or just hitting publish and leaving?

· Are you telling real stories? Showing behind the scenes? Asking questions?

This isn’t about being perfect.
It’s about being human.

So before you change what you write, try changing how you show up.
Because if you open up, you might be surprised how fast people start leaning in.

Question 5: What would you suggest to someone who wants to create their first offer? Do you have any resources you would point them to?

Start with the money in mind.
Not because it’s all about making money, but because money only comes when the value is clear.

Here’s the simple path:

1. Start with the problem.

What’s one painful, frustrating, or confusing thing your audience is struggling with?
That’s the heart of your offer.

2. Decide who you’re solving it for.

Be specific.
Your offer should feel like a personal invitation, not a public broadcast.
People pay for relevance, not general advice.

3. Figure out how you solve it differently.

What’s your angle?
What’s your story, system, framework, or method that no one else is doing quite like you?

That’s your positioning.
And positioning is what turns a thing for sale into something people want to buy.

4. Build just enough to deliver.

Your first offer doesn’t have to be a course or a massive product.
It could be:

· A paywalled newsletter series

· A mini-guide

· A workshop

· A paid column or insider breakdown

The format is flexible.
The transformation is not.

Want a resource?

Yes, my Substack Quest.
It’s where I break down all the strategies you need:
Positioning.
Product.
Growth.
Monetization.
Retention.

Because without the right offer, you’re just guessing.
With the right offer, everything else clicks into place.

Question 6: What do you suggest to people who struggle to find their niche and name thier audience?

Forget naming the audience.
Focus on naming the problem.

That’s where clarity lives.
That’s where growth begins.

You don’t have to label your people with a perfect title.
You just have to describe the pain they’re in.
Because people don’t always identify with a label, but they always recognize their own struggle.

When you say, something like:
Hey, I help with this exact thing you’re stuck on,
people lean in.

Even if you never call them writers, creatives, parents, freelancers, or whatever,
they’ll know you’re talking to them.

In fact, naming your audience too tightly can backfire.
Some people will walk away, thinking,
that that’s not me, even if what you’re offering is exactly what they need.

So don’t stress about naming your niche.
Get crystal clear on the problem you solve.
When you do that, your people will find you.

Question 7: What’s your biggest insight / tip from using notes as a fledgling writer?

Engage first. Post second. Engage again.

Notes aren’t just a place to drop thoughts.
They’re a place to start conversations.
But that only works if you’re showing up as part of the community—not just broadcasting into it.

So before you post, spend time:
– Liking other Notes
– Commenting with real thoughts
– Restacking things you enjoy
– Following writers in your niche

Then post your own Note, hort, sharp, and connected to your newsletter’s topic.
Make it feel like a little high-value drop.
Not a throwaway.
Not just “vibes.”

And after you post?
Engage again.

That’s how you get seen.
That’s how people remember your name.
That’s how you stop being a fledgling—and start becoming known.

Question 8: What’s the best advice for editing?

Stop editing yourself out of your writing.

That little voice that says,
- Cut that, it’s too much
- Tone it down
- Make it more professional

that voice is wrong.

Because people don’t want perfect.
They want you.
Your voice.
Your take.
Your weird metaphors and bold opinions and strange-but-true stories.

So here’s the rule:
Edit for clarity. Not for personality.

Clean up the clutter.
Tighten the flow.
But don’t sand down the soul.

If it sounds like you when you say it out loud—
keep it.

That’s what makes it real.
That’s what makes it land.
That’s what makes readers stay.

Question 9: How to create content that fits your audience?

Speak to one person.

Not a group.
Not my audience.
Not everyone who might be interested.

Just one.

Imagine them.
What are they struggling with right now?
What question are they secretly Googling at 11 p.m.?
What would make them say something like - That’s exactly what I needed to hear today?

When you write to one person,
you use real words.
You speak directly.
You cut the fluff.

And the magic?
When you speak clearly to one,
you attract many who feel the same.

That’s how you create content that fits.
Not by guessing what the audience wants, but by knowing exactly who you're writing to.

Question 10: What notes you write tends to get noticed?

I don’t guess.
I don’t rely on gut feeling.

I trust data.

So I did what any writer obsessed with patterns would do, I made a full analysis with ChatGPT.
Looked at which Notes got traction, which ones didn’t, and why.

The patterns were clear.
And I shared the whole breakdown free.
You can read it in the post linked below:

Bottom line?
It’s not about luck.
It’s about what you post, how you say it, and who it’s for.

Data is more than guessing.
Always.

Alright! That’s it for today! I hope you enjoyed it!

See you next time!

Stay Unplugged!

Yana

P.S. If Substack still feels overwhelming, check out this link.

P.S.S. I professionally cloned my voice so that I can create podcasts in minutes without worrying so much about recording and editing.

---

👉 Start a discussion in the Unplugged community! Get help or simply introduce yourself and connect with like-minded members, and create meaningful connections.

Kickstart Your Substack Growth:

• Get a FREE 10-Day Substack crash course to grow your first 1000 subscribers

• Join the One and Only Substack Quest to build a high-converting Substack

• Work with me to get your Substack up and growing

Save Tons of Time! Use My Custom GPTs:

• The Title Generator that gives me headlines that stop the scroll

• The Notes Writer that writes Viral Notes, bringing me hundreds of subs

• The Writer Pro that turns my Notes into >90% human drafts (here’s the free version).

Or get the bundle with all the tools, now at a very special price ;)

Become an Affiliate:

Earn 30% from each sale. Apply here (I approve everyone).

My Newsletters:

• FREE Daily BiTES: A daily mail with just 3 bullets from the most helpful things I read about writing and making money online with AI

• Have a GUT Time: A weekly short but powerful technique to build a growth mindset and achieve anything you want

• Unplugged: The place to be if you want to grow an AI-powered paid newsletter and create content that sells itself.

Connect With Me:

Substack | Medium | YouTube | X | BlueSky | LinkedIn | Facebook | Threads | Instagram