Engage b/c You Mean It
How To Engage Like You Mean It
Everyone says “build in public.” Almost no one shows you what that looks like when you’re staring at someone else’s work and wondering if you have anything real to add.
Here’s the move. It works on Substack. It works on X. It works in research papers and legal briefs. It works anywhere ideas get tested in public.
The Practice
On days you publish, engage with other people’s work. Not as obligation. As practice.
Bookmark articles as you read them. Come back later when you’re ready to comment. There’s no urgency to be first. Comment on what interests you when you’re ready. Shelve what doesn’t.
Budget 45 to 60 minutes. Aim for five comments and one restack. If you can’t hit that because nothing triggered you, that’s a signal. Either you’re following the wrong people or your topic is saturated with old ideas being rehashed.
What Makes a Comment Meaningful
Agreement with a clarifying question. Or disagreement with a concept, strategy, or idea. That’s it.
You’re not performing. You’re thinking out loud. If the comment feels forced, skip it.
What Gets the Restack
Strong agreement. Genuine enjoyment. If you liked it enough to want your readers to see it, restack it.
You don’t have to be a debater. Praise works. Show what you respect. That builds credibility too.
On Substack: Restack With a Note
A Restack is a repost. A Restack with a note is a public margin comment. Use the note. Always.
One line to hook. One line to agree or add angle. One line from your experience.
Example: “Most DM outreach is just private panic. This nails the cost of chasing replies in the dark. After twenty years, I’ve never seen a creator quit because they posted too much in public. Only because they begged too long in private.”
Short. Real. No groveling.
Only restack posts your readers would gain from. Add commentary that sounds like it came from your publication, not a fan account.
Ask yourself: “If my audience never clicked through, would my note alone still be worth their time?” If no, you’re forwarding mail.
Why This Matters
Engaging with other people’s work builds intimacy with ideas. With their thinking. With your own.
Scientists cite research to build on it or challenge it. Lawyers cite precedent to strengthen their case. Writers quote other writers to add depth or push back. The people who engage seriously with existing ideas earn authority faster than the people who just broadcast their own.
This is not about winning arguments or being contrarian for sport. You’re clarifying. You help their idea get sharper. You help your thinking get sharper. That exchange builds your track record. Your track record becomes your confidence.
The relationships and growth come because you showed up to think, not because you optimized for reach.
What You’re Actually Building
Sometimes the original writer reacts. Sometimes they never say a word. Both outcomes teach you something.
You tested your thinking in public. You found out if your angle holds weight. You discovered whether your readers care about this intersection.
This is not a growth hack. It’s a thinking tool that happens to be visible.
When a note hits and your readers respond, expand it into a full essay. Link back to the original so people can see the evolution. You go from one sharp note to a body of work.
The credibility is a side effect of the work.
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V➤ Find one post that triggered you today. Engage with a real note. That’s your first public brick.