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Today, we’re welcoming Veronica Llorca Smith, who is a public speaker and the author of two books and three e-books with a following of over 15,000 on Medium and LinkedIn and a newsletter with over 4,000 subscribers.
It all started when she decided to reinvent herself and started a new career as a writer at the age of 41.
2020: Burned out climbing the corporate ladder
2021: Unemployed and locked abroad (Covid courtesy)
2022: Started writing and became a public speaker
2023: Published her first book (and 2nd and 3rd) & launched the newsletter
2024: Got a book deal with #1 Publisher, Penguin Random House
Since February 2023, she has been building her newsletter, The Lemon Tree Mindset, where she shares weekly articles on writing, well-being, and her mindset.
Today, she reaches over 4,000 subscribers, including 109 paid subscribers.
But, the road to her newsletter was not an easy one. It never is, right?
In our interview, you'll find valuable insights on:
How to nail paid subscription: How she started and gained 109 paid subscribers
Re-inventing Substack Notes: How she turned it into a key growth lever and generated hundreds of subscribers
Newsletter positioning: How she used her newsletter in her content funnel as a community-builder
I’d also love to mention that Veronica is an Ironman triathlete. At first glance, writing a newsletter consistently and being an athlete might seem very different, but they both require similar competencies. In both, you have to be self-disciplined, consistent, laser-focused on your goals and persistent despite all the emotional rollercoasters. I believe that having an athlete's mindset and being open to sharing her struggles along the way highly contributes to Veronica’s success.
Finally, in addition to her smart newsletter strategy, we have a lot to get inspired by Veronica’s constructive mindset. Her courage might be rooted in her life experiences, which pushed her to adapt to new countries and languages continuously.
“9 countries, 6 languages.
I’ve been a foreigner my whole life:
France, Brazil, Italy, China, Australia…
And I love it!
New schools, new friends, new habits, new food…”
In the end, she learned to turn challenges into opportunities with the lemon tree mindset, and now, this is what she’s spreading through her newsletter.
“When life gives you lemons, use the seeds to plant lemon trees.”
Enough from me. Let's hear the behind-the-scenes story of Veronica’s newsletter from herself!
🛠 TOOL STACK
🥁 START
How and why did you start The Lemon Tree Mindset in the first place?
In 2022, I was locked abroad during the pandemic with my two young daughters and I wasn’t able to go back home due to the quarantine restrictions. We ended up moving to Australia while my husband stayed behind with our dog at home in Hong Kong.
After 6 frustrating months of looking for a job, I decided to reinvent myself and start a new path at 41.
If I didn’t have a network, I would develop one.
If recruiters didn’t see my value, I would share it with the world.
If I didn’t have a job, I would create one myself.
I decided to change my life and started writing and speaking in public to share my story. That’s when I developed the concept of the lemon tree mindset:
“When life gives you lemons, use the seeds and plant your own lemon tree.”
In February 2023, I published my first book, The Lemon Tree Mindset with the 19 lessons I learned during my reinvention journey. It was a finalist of the 2024 International Book Awards, by American Lit Festival and led to the launch of my Substack newsletter, which focuses on helping others find their new path.
It all started with a tiny seed of hope and passion and it’s now blossoming into a beautiful lemon tree.
🚀 GROWTH
You’re a public speaker, writer of books and ebooks and build an audience with over 15,000+ on Medium & LinkedIn. What is the role of your newsletter in your content funnel and the online business you’re building?
“My newsletter plays the role of community-builder.”
I see it as a channel that allows me to create a more intimate relationship with my readers. Many start as followers on social media channels, but once they join The Lemon Tree Mindset, we start to engage at a deeper level and it becomes a 2-way relationship as I’m very proactive in replying and engaging with my tribe.
A newsletter has allowed me to build trust with my subscribers, and many end up buying my ebooks and digital products, becoming coaching clients and leaving reviews and testimonials online. My community of paid subscribers (I just surpassed 100) has become a very close group where we share updates, support each other and grow together.
Growth strategies can vary at different stages of a newsletter journey. Which strategies did you use to grow over 4,000 subscribers?
The evolution of Veronica’s subscriber list
0 - 1,000 → The Beginner: In this phase, I was just trying to figure things out: the platform, the monetization, the community, the cadence. I focused on observing, learning and experimenting, going with the flow.
1,000 - 2,000→ The Strategist: Once I hit 1,000 subscribers, I decided to create a 360-strategy and started treating my Substack like a start-up. I refined my vision and content pillars, curated the look and feel, and became (hyper) active on Notes. I also ideated a freemium strategy to monetize my newsletter in a targeted way.
2,000 - present → The Risk-taker: Thanks to my strategy, my Substack took momentum and I decided it was time to take it one step further and try new services for my paid subscribers, such as email courses and webinars. These initiatives together with engaging Notes took my growth from incremental to explosive and I started to gain 900-1000 subscribers a month. I also reviewed my offer for Founding Members and started offering a 60-minute coaching session.
You’re an active user of Substack Notes and publish daily. How did it contribute to your newsletter growth & engagement? How does it differ from other platforms you’re active on like LinkedIn or Medium?
Using Notes daily was a game-changer. I started to be more active in January 2024 and the impact on my Substack growth was immediate.
At first, my Notes barely had any engagement, but after 3 months of daily activity, the Likes started to come. Since then, I had several Notes go viral (500+ likes) and generate hundreds of subscribers.
Unlike on Medium or LinkedIn, where the performance of a post is totally random, on Substack, the more you grow your audience and become active, the more engagement you get.
It’s incredible to look at the stats and see that 90%+ of my subscribers come organically from within. No other social platform enables you to do that.
Let’s assume that I’ll start publishing on Notes tomorrow. What should be my strategy and what should I pay attention to the most?
First, reframe your mindset: be ok talking to the wall. Many writers give up because they don’t see any engagement after posting a few Notes. I didn’t either, but I kept showing up and eventually, after hundreds of them, the room filled up. Show up for yourself first: you are your most important stakeholder.
Second, don’t be afraid to show your personality, and by that, I mean your unique take or perspective on things. Before I publish something, I ask myself whether that Note could have been written by a bot. Sounding human and approachable has been a big part of my strategy.
Last, keep it real. There’s no shortage of “magic formulas to make 6 figures” on social media, but I believe in opening the vulnerability door and showing people the wins as well as the struggles.
That’s what my readers have told me they like about my writing: it’s raw. Sharing my backstage has been reassuring for other people as they see the effort that goes behind the scenes, not just the trophy at the end of the race.
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