Modern Creator Network
Nicolas Cole · YouTube · 07:13

The Biggest Missed Opportunity To Grow On Substack

Nicolas Cole's 7-minute pitch for the 30-minute-a-day comment routine that built his Substack following — with two live demos and a permission ladder.

Posted
3 days ago
Duration
Format
Tutorial
educational
Channel
NC
Nicolas Cole
§ 01 · The Hook

The bait, then the rug-pull.

Nicolas Cole opens with a tease, not an answer — 'the single biggest missed opportunity on the entire platform' — then makes the audience guess before he delivers the line that powers the rest of the video: a comment is literally the same thing as a short-form post. From there it's seven minutes of one idea, repeated five ways, demonstrated twice live.

§ · Stated Promise

What the video promised.

stated at 00:07“I wanna point out the single biggest missed opportunity on the entire platform.”delivered at 00:41
§ · Chapters

Where the time goes.

00:00 – 00:12

01 · Cold open

Question + tease of 'biggest missed opportunity on the platform'

00:12 – 01:01

02 · The reframe

Audience guesses 'engage with other people' — Cole reframes: a comment IS a short-form post. No difference.

01:01 – 01:50

03 · The 30-minute routine

Block 30 min every morning, comment on 20 people's posts. Miami 2022 WeWork origin story with Dickie.

01:50 – 01:50

04 · Permission frame

'Your laptop will not explode if you do this incorrectly.' Sets up the live demo.

01:50 – 02:38

05 · Live demo: Roman

Cole writes a real comment on Roman's post about content-as-repository, posts it, then copies it as a Note.

02:38 – 03:27

06 · Anti-overthinking beat

'Should we have sat here and thought about this for 90 minutes?' Repetition of the no-overthinking permission.

03:27 – 04:17

07 · Your content is yours

The repurpose mantra — copy, remix, combine, expand, compress, cross-post. 'How do I chop it apart in 100 different ways? That is the game.'

04:17 – 05:22

08 · Live demo: Jake

Second live demo — replies to Jake's intro post, posts it, 'did my laptop explode?'

05:22 – 05:50

09 · The permission ladder

'Is it okay if I? Yes. Should I? Yes. Can I? Yes.' Call-and-response sequence.

05:50 – 06:32

10 · The execution-gap closer

15,000 writers through Ship 30. 'Number one reason people don't see traction is not lack of talent — it's that they don't do it.'

06:32 – 07:13

11 · CTA: startwritingonline.com

Cut to solo couch set. Pitch for the free master class, lead-magnet popup overlays 'How To Start Writing Online.'

§ · Storyboard

Visual structure at a glance.

Cold open
hookCold open00:00
Reframe: comment = note
promiseReframe: comment = note00:12
30-min routine reveal
value30-min routine reveal01:01
Live demo: Roman
valueLive demo: Roman01:50
Your content is yours
valueYour content is yours03:27
Live demo: Jake
valueLive demo: Jake04:17
Permission ladder
valuePermission ladder05:22
Execution-gap closer
valueExecution-gap closer05:50
CTA: startwritingonline
ctaCTA: startwritingonline06:32
§ · Frameworks

Named ideas worth stealing.

00:30concept

Comment = Note Equivalence

A comment on someone else's Substack post and a short-form Note on your own profile are the same artifact — same length, same audience surface, same value. Therefore every comment is one round-trip away from being a Note on your feed.

Steal forany platform with comments AND a native short-form surface (Substack Notes, X replies → tweets, LinkedIn comments → posts, YouTube comments → community tab)
01:01list

The 30-Minute Morning Routine

  1. Block 30 minutes every morning
  2. Scroll your feed
  3. Find 10 people you can comment on
  4. Write a quick reply on each one
  5. If a comment lands well, copy-paste it as a Note on your own profile

Cole's exact daily ritual from his Miami 2022 WeWork month with Dickie Bush — 30 minutes, 20-30 manual replies a day, every day.

Steal forany habit-stack lesson about a daily creator routine — 30 min is the magic number because it's small enough to commit to and big enough to compound
05:22list

The Permission Ladder

  1. Is it okay if I? — Yes. It is.
  2. Should I? — Yes. You should.
  3. Can I? — Yes. You can.

Three-rung call-and-response rhetorical pattern. Cole answers each of the three questions a creator-in-paralysis is silently asking, in order.

Steal forany 'permission' content — the moment your audience is afraid to act
04:05concept

Chop It Apart 100 Ways

Your newsletter is the hard work; everything else is repurposing the same idea in 100 different containers. 'It's not about writing other things. It's about taking the thing you already wrote.'

Steal forany content-system frame — the long-form piece is the substrate, not the deliverable
§ · Quotables

Lines you could clip.

00:07
“I wanna point out the single biggest missed opportunity on the entire platform.”
tease hook — works as cold open for any short→ TikTok hook
00:30
“Writing a comment is literally the same thing as writing a short form piece of content. A comment and a piece of content are the same exact thing.”
the entire thesis in two sentences→ IG reel cold open
01:01
“You block thirty minutes in the morning, and you go comment on 20 people's posts.”
the prescription, no setup needed→ TikTok hook
01:31
“Your laptop will not explode if you do this incorrectly.”
concrete, absurd, disarming — universal anti-overthinking line→ TikTok hook
03:27
“On the Internet, your content is yours. You can copy paste it. You can remix it. You can combine it. You can expand it. You can compress it.”
five-verb cadence, lifts as a manifesto-style overlay→ IG reel cold open
04:16
“How do I chop it apart in a 100 different ways? That is the game.”
compact thesis statement→ newsletter pull-quote
05:22
“Is it okay if I? Yes. It is. Should I? Yes. You should. Can I? Yes. You can.”
rhythmic permission ladder→ IG reel cold open
06:07
“The number one reason why people do not see traction is not because they lack talent. It is not because they don't know what to do. It is simply because they don't do it.”
execution-gap closer — works as a standalone post any week→ TikTok hook
§ · Pacing

How they spent the runtime.

Hook length12s
Info densitymedium
Filler14%
§ · Resources Mentioned

Things they pointed at.

05:50productShip 30 for 30 ↗
06:32productstartwritingonline.com (free master class) ↗
§ · CTA Breakdown

How they asked for the click.

06:32link
“If you wanna write online but aren't sure where to start, click the link in the description of this video and check out startwritingonline.com. This is a free master class I put together sharing all of our most helpful frameworks for beginners.”

Hard set-change signals the shift from teaching to selling. Cole goes from desk + Perrier to a totally different couch set in a ball cap — the set tells the viewer 'we're done teaching, here's the ask.' Lead-magnet popup overlays at 6:43 reinforces the verbal CTA visually. Social proof: '100,000 writers have gone through this free master class.'

§ · The Script

Word for word.

HOOKopening / re-engagementCTAthe pitchmetaphoranalogy
00:00HOOKSo what are some little things that you can do to get notes traffic going on Substack? I wanna point out the single biggest missed opportunity on the entire platform. Aside from you writing your own content, what do you think is the single best thing that you could do on the platform? We should probably engage with other people on the platform because the thing that a lot of a lot of times writers forget
00:26is that writing a comment is literally the same thing as writing a short form piece of content. A comment
00:37and a piece of content are the same exact thing. So if you if you're like, what is my fastest path to generating traffic? What is my fastest path to starting to build my audience? What is my fastest path to getting attention from Substack's ecosystem over to my newsletter?
00:57The fastest path let me here's the secret, everyone. You block thirty minutes in the morning, and you go comment on 20 people's posts. I'm gonna forget. Dickie, you remember? Doing those.
01:10First month that Cole and I got together in person in Miami, 2022. We get to WeWork at, like, 07:45, 08:00, pull open our laptop, post our piece of short form content, and write twenty to thirty minutes of replies manually
01:25every day. Yep. Every day. And it crushed. Yeah. And so you know what? I just wanna give everyone permission here, and I just wanna show you how your laptop will not explode if you do this incorrectly. Okay?
01:41This is not worth overthinking. So we're gonna literally do this live right now. Okay? Now watch how watch how this works. Roman, thanks for posting this. Totally agree.
01:55I like to think of my library of content as one giant repository for stories,
02:03insights, templates, prompts, cheat sheets,
02:08etcetera. The more I write online, the more training data I have to play with. Is there any difference between this comment and something that I would write as short form content?
02:24There is no difference. There is no difference. And anyone wanna see something really cool? K. Ready? Watch what watch what we're about to do. I'm gonna copy paste this. I'm gonna post this as a comment to Roman's piece, and then I'm gonna go and create a new note, and I'm just gonna delete totally agree, and then I'm gonna post the same exact thing as a note on my profile.
02:54What what do we think? Should we have sat here and thought about this for ninety minutes before we pressed enter? You think we should we we should do some overthinking?
03:05No. This is this is what you should do every morning for thirty minutes. And you go find scroll through your feed, find 10 people that you can comment on, and then maybe as you're writing comments, you go, oh, that comment is actually that's that's a pretty good I like how I worded that. Okay. Great. Copy paste the thing that you just wrote as a comment and go post it as a note.
03:28The the big idea here is that on the Internet, your content is yours.
03:37You can do whatever you want with it. You can copy paste it. You can remix it. You can combine it. You can expand it. You can compress it. You can cross post it. You can do whatever you want with it. And this is just one of those things that a lot of people don't even realize that they can do. Your newsletter was you did all the hard work. You took the time to sit down and clarify your thinking. You took the time to write out the long form version.
04:04Right? Which means everything else, it's not about, like, writing other things. It's about taking the thing you already wrote and going, how do I chop it apart in a 100 different ways? That is the game.
04:21Make sense? Everyone here, permission? Do you feel like you you have permission? You've given yourself permission to go do this? Because what I don't want is I don't want you to open up your laptop tomorrow morning and then go, okay. Cole said I gotta go comment on 10 people's posts. And then you open up one post and you sit there and you're trying to write the next war and peace.
04:44That's not what we're talking about. You you pick something, you quickly give a response, and then you move on and you do it again. You do it again. You do it again. Yeah. Irene, how do you choose the people to comment on number of followers? Don't overthink it. Like, literally, I'm just I'm gonna scroll through. We're gonna do it again. I have no idea how big Jake's following is. I've been on Substack for over a year now. If you're new, I would love to support you. Let's grow together.
05:11HOOKNice. Thanks, Jake, and great to see fellow writers becoming friends here. Post.
05:22HOOKDid did my laptop explode? Did anything bad happen? Nope. I have no I have no idea who Jake is, and I have no idea how big his audience is. But you know what? Now I have another piece of writing. I have another comment living on the platform, living within Substack's ecosystem. I I wanna, like, harp on this for everyone. Okay? If you're sitting there and you're asking,
05:45HOOKis it okay if I? Yes. It is. Should I? Yes. You should. Can I? Yes. You can. After running however many cohorts we did of ship 30, Dickey, like 22, 21, something like that. And we've, I mean, we've walked north of 15,000
06:03writers through frameworks like this. I will tell you overwhelmingly, the number one reason why people do not see traction is not because they lack talent. It is not because they don't know what to do. It is simply because they don't do it.
06:20CTAThat is fundamentally it. It would be very hard for you to not see something happen if you prioritized doing this every morning for thirty minutes a day.
06:32CTAIt it would be very hard for for, like, nothing to happen as the result of that. Real quick, if you wanna write online but aren't sure where to start, click the link in the description of this video and check out startwritingonline.com. This is a free master class I put together sharing all of our most helpful frameworks for beginners, like proven hooks to capture your target reader's attention, where to write online to get the most distribution on your work, and little growth hacking tips to build your social audience and email list faster. Over a 100,000 writers have gone through this free master class, and many even send us emails afterwards thanking us for sharing such valuable information for free. So click the link below this video to check it out and make this year the year you start seeing success from your writing online.
§ · For Joe

Steal the format.

One-Idea, Two-Demo, Permission-Ladder lesson

When you have ONE good idea, don't pad it into a listicle — repeat it five ways and demonstrate it live twice.

  • Open with a tease, not the answer. Let the audience guess. ('What do you think is the single biggest missed opportunity?')
  • Reduce your idea to a single sentence anyone can repeat ('a comment is literally the same thing as a short-form post').
  • Prescribe a specific routine with a specific number — '30 minutes, 20 people' beats 'comment more.'
  • Demo it live, then demo it AGAIN. Repetition is the proof.
  • Stack the permission ladder ('Is it okay if I? Should I? Can I?') as a re-hook in the back half.
  • Close with the execution-gap line — 'not lack of talent, they don't do it' — every creator-coaching audience needs it.
  • Set-change for the CTA. Visually signal 'teaching is done, here's the ask.'
§ · For You

What this could mean for you.

If you're trying to grow on Substack

The fastest way to grow on Substack is to stop trying to write the next War and Peace and start writing thirty comments a day.

  • Block 30 minutes tomorrow morning. Same time, same chair. That's the only ritual that matters.
  • Scroll your feed. Find 10 people whose posts you actually have a reaction to. Write a real reply on each.
  • Don't overthink the reply. A sentence or two is plenty. If you spend 90 minutes on it, you missed the point.
  • When a comment feels good — when you'd be happy to claim it on your own profile — copy it, paste it as a Note, hit post.
  • Do this Monday. Then Tuesday. Then Wednesday. Cole's whole pitch is that the number-one reason writers don't grow is they don't actually do this.
  • Your newsletter is the hard work. Everything else — comments, Notes, replies — is just chopping that work into smaller pieces.
  • Stop asking permission. Cole is giving it to you. Open the laptop and start typing.
§ · Frame Gallery

Visual moments.

Cold open00:00Frame at 00:10 from The Biggest Missed Opportunity To Grow On Substack00:10Reframe: comment = note00:20Frame at 00:30 from The Biggest Missed Opportunity To Grow On Substack00:30Frame at 00:40 from The Biggest Missed Opportunity To Grow On Substack00:40Frame at 00:50 from The Biggest Missed Opportunity To Grow On Substack00:50
Cold open00:00Frame at 00:10 from The Biggest Missed Opportunity To Grow On Substack00:10Reframe: comment = note00:20Frame at 00:30 from The Biggest Missed Opportunity To Grow On Substack00:30Frame at 00:40 from The Biggest Missed Opportunity To Grow On Substack00:40Frame at 00:50 from The Biggest Missed Opportunity To Grow On Substack00:50Frame at 01:00 from The Biggest Missed Opportunity To Grow On Substack01:0030-min routine reveal01:10Frame at 01:20 from The Biggest Missed Opportunity To Grow On Substack01:20Frame at 01:30 from The Biggest Missed Opportunity To Grow On Substack01:30Frame at 01:40 from The Biggest Missed Opportunity To Grow On Substack01:40Frame at 01:50 from The Biggest Missed Opportunity To Grow On Substack01:50Frame at 02:00 from The Biggest Missed Opportunity To Grow On Substack02:00Live demo: Roman02:10Frame at 02:20 from The Biggest Missed Opportunity To Grow On Substack02:20Frame at 02:30 from The Biggest Missed Opportunity To Grow On Substack02:30Frame at 02:40 from The Biggest Missed Opportunity To Grow On Substack02:40Frame at 02:50 from The Biggest Missed Opportunity To Grow On Substack02:50Frame at 03:00 from The Biggest Missed Opportunity To Grow On Substack03:00Frame at 03:10 from The Biggest Missed Opportunity To Grow On Substack03:10Frame at 03:20 from The Biggest Missed Opportunity To Grow On Substack03:20Frame at 03:30 from The Biggest Missed Opportunity To Grow On Substack03:30Your content is yours03:40Frame at 03:50 from The Biggest Missed Opportunity To Grow On Substack03:50Frame at 04:00 from The Biggest Missed Opportunity To Grow On Substack04:00Frame at 04:10 from The Biggest Missed Opportunity To Grow On Substack04:10Live demo: Jake04:20Frame at 04:30 from The Biggest Missed Opportunity To Grow On Substack04:30Frame at 04:40 from The Biggest Missed Opportunity To Grow On Substack04:40Frame at 04:50 from The Biggest Missed Opportunity To Grow On Substack04:50Frame at 05:00 from The Biggest Missed Opportunity To Grow On Substack05:00Permission ladder05:10Frame at 05:20 from The Biggest Missed Opportunity To Grow On Substack05:20Frame at 05:30 from The Biggest Missed Opportunity To Grow On Substack05:30Frame at 05:40 from The Biggest Missed Opportunity To Grow On Substack05:40Frame at 05:50 from The Biggest Missed Opportunity To Grow On Substack05:50Execution-gap closer06:00Frame at 06:10 from The Biggest Missed Opportunity To Grow On Substack06:10Frame at 06:20 from The Biggest Missed Opportunity To Grow On Substack06:20Frame at 06:30 from The Biggest Missed Opportunity To Grow On Substack06:30Frame at 06:40 from The Biggest Missed Opportunity To Grow On Substack06:40Frame at 06:43 from The Biggest Missed Opportunity To Grow On Substack06:43Frame at 06:43 from The Biggest Missed Opportunity To Grow On Substack06:43Frame at 06:43 from The Biggest Missed Opportunity To Grow On Substack06:43CTA: startwritingonline06:48Frame at 06:58 from The Biggest Missed Opportunity To Grow On Substack06:58Frame at 06:58 from The Biggest Missed Opportunity To Grow On Substack06:58Frame at 07:07 from The Biggest Missed Opportunity To Grow On Substack07:07