How Lenny Rachitsky Got 531,000 Substack Subscribers | How I Write Podcast

Lenny writes one of the top five business newsletters on Substack — which has amassed over 500,000 subscribers. He hosts a podcast that makes him more money than he made in corporate America. And he’s built a raving X audience of over 188,000. In this episode, you’ll see inside Lenny Rachitsky's process. He opens up about creating high-signal content; following what energizes him; balancing storytelling with practicality; protecting his writing schedule; and above all, rising above the noise. TIMESTAMPS: 0:00:00 Intro 0:01:00 Better content 0:01:30 Rising above the noise 0:02:30 Jobs to be done framework 0:05:00 Serving your audience 0:06:30 How did Lenny start writing 0:08:30 Who does Lenny interview 0:10:00 Notes to posts 0:15:45 High signal to noise ratio 0:17:15 Lenny's first viral post 0:19:30 High quality bar 0:21:45 Airbnb 0:24:30 Podcasting 0:25:15 When is Lenny happiest 0:28:15 Writing good introductions 0:30:00 Distribution 0:33:30 Failing posts 0:36:15 Lenny's Schedule 0:37:30 Avoiding distractions 0:38:20 How to say "No" 0:40:40 Writing at work 0:42:30 Dealing with criticism 0:44:40 Writer's who Lenny admires 0:45:45 Editing process 0:49:45 Vacation 0:51:00 Twitter / X vs Linkedin 0:52:00 Lenny's research process 0:53:40 Coda 0:57:20 Google Docs 0:59:45 Writing prompts 1:01:00 Writing environments 1:04:15 Product Management 1:08:00 Fame 1:13:30 Lenny's Substack Growth 1:15:20 What is Lenny reading 1:18:30 How Lenny's experience shapes his writing SPEAKER LINKS: Twitter:   / lennysan   Website: https://www.lennyrachitsky.com Newsletter: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com Podcast: https://www.lennyspodcast.com WRITE OF PASSAGE: Want to learn more about the next class Write of Passage? Click here: https://take.writeofpassage.school/wr... PODCAST LINKS: Website: https://writeofpassage.school/how-i-w... Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast... Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2DjMSbo... ABOUT THE HOST: I’m David Perell and I’m a writer, teacher, and podcaster. I believe writing online is one of the biggest opportunities in the world today. For the first time in human history, everybody can freely share their ideas with a global audience. I seek to help as many people publish their writing online as possible. How I Write is a podcast by Write of Passage // Production by Adam Soccolich