We invited writer, academic, and podcaster Glenn Loury, who writes an eponymous newsletter, Glenn Loury, to share his insights on how he started making a living from Substack, expanding his community into thousands of paying subscribers. He shares his journey of migrating from other platforms, creating a consistent content strategy, developing a unique voice in a key ideological space, and continuous creative experimentation.
You're showing how someone who already had an audience and following, just grew it bigger. Of course, that is consistency and making content. How about a future topic about when you want to start something from absolute zero follows, with no current project or existing audience, social media following or community to draw initial listeners from? Most people start from nothing and have no idea how to get off the ground.
One thing I've recognized as a common thread in this series is that growing Substack means leveraging other outlets that have similar communities. It doesn't have to be social media. I'm hearing podcasts, interviews, videos, forums, collaborations -- there is a lot of opportunity to extend a voice elsewhere and bring it back here. In my experience when you can tap into a market of readers that are not also writers is when you find your greatest growth. Writers tend to hang with writers, artists with artists, musicians with musicians, etc., but when you can reach a group who share a love of what you do without doing it themselves they become the biggest fans.
i love the takeaway: Make it interesting and meaningful for yourself—if you find an audience, it’ll be interesting and meaningful for them as well.
i wrote my historical novel for myself, and began blogging about related things that interested me. i have no real expectation that anyone else will want to read it, but i hope that IF anyone does, they're meant to be there. that makes my work easier and more enjoyable.
and glen loury always has an interesting perspective to consider. looking forward to checking out his substack!
Nothing I posted violated your Company’s guidelines unless of course your guidelines tolerate the contempt for free speech and the capacity for a Black American to reject and defend themselves from racial and petty insults
Interesting your company has still not removed all of the offensive remarks directed at me!
Since I alone are the architect of my words and your company as zero agency over me , I will now advise as many people as possible what took place here
Loury has been an original and fearless thinker for a while and really glad to see Substack delivering on its promise of enabling truly diverse voices. His remarks on how to be successful are true enough but the biggest factor for his success is his fearless and well reasoned content in the unfortunate intolerant climate we find ourselves in. It’s also remarkable as he points out that thinkers like him could easily be shut down and driven out from their current, traditional channels which are also their primary means of livelihood. That is a sad commentary on our intolerant culture but also a statement for why we absolutely need Substack both as a forum for free expression and also as a means to support free voices (monetarily). Kudos to Loury and Substack.
Off topic I know but being found is one of the hardest things when you are starting out. So, I wish Substack would add more categories. I struggled to find a category to fit my newsletter. I teach creative writing for absolute beginners and in the end went with 'How To' and 'Fiction' as there wasn't anything else. I'm starting another newsletter which is crime fiction and articles in a few weeks and I already know it will be hard to categorize.
Thank you for sharing this. I think Loury has alot of great ideas and thoughts. When I read "wokebusters" I signed up for a year. I would not have realized he was on Substack without this series.
I want to write on Substack. I'm vision-impaired; it's a struggle to write, but I can. I'm elderly and don't know how or even wish to learn the process of business. Substack would grow massively by offering people like me a COMPLETE SETUP template that makes the entire process sleek and streamlined, so all I do is write, hit the button to publish
thanks, professor glenn! do you enjoy being one of the only black voices inyour ideological space? or do you wish to expand the number of black voices in your ideological space exponentially?
You're showing how someone who already had an audience and following, just grew it bigger. Of course, that is consistency and making content. How about a future topic about when you want to start something from absolute zero follows, with no current project or existing audience, social media following or community to draw initial listeners from? Most people start from nothing and have no idea how to get off the ground.
No matter where I go for advice on growing an audience, consistency is at the top of the list. Quality follows.
Substack please ask the open rates during the grow series. It will really help us out, especially if a substack has over 10k subscribers.
One thing I've recognized as a common thread in this series is that growing Substack means leveraging other outlets that have similar communities. It doesn't have to be social media. I'm hearing podcasts, interviews, videos, forums, collaborations -- there is a lot of opportunity to extend a voice elsewhere and bring it back here. In my experience when you can tap into a market of readers that are not also writers is when you find your greatest growth. Writers tend to hang with writers, artists with artists, musicians with musicians, etc., but when you can reach a group who share a love of what you do without doing it themselves they become the biggest fans.
I have never seen a term or ideal as hijacked as “woke”. Wow. What exactly is the woke movement? It used to be a meme wrapped in kente.
i love the takeaway: Make it interesting and meaningful for yourself—if you find an audience, it’ll be interesting and meaningful for them as well.
i wrote my historical novel for myself, and began blogging about related things that interested me. i have no real expectation that anyone else will want to read it, but i hope that IF anyone does, they're meant to be there. that makes my work easier and more enjoyable.
and glen loury always has an interesting perspective to consider. looking forward to checking out his substack!
Nothing I posted violated your Company’s guidelines unless of course your guidelines tolerate the contempt for free speech and the capacity for a Black American to reject and defend themselves from racial and petty insults
Interesting your company has still not removed all of the offensive remarks directed at me!
Since I alone are the architect of my words and your company as zero agency over me , I will now advise as many people as possible what took place here
BLM even on your company’s website/platform…..
Greg Thrasher
Director
Plane Ideas
Alternative Think Tank
DC /Detroit
Loury has been an original and fearless thinker for a while and really glad to see Substack delivering on its promise of enabling truly diverse voices. His remarks on how to be successful are true enough but the biggest factor for his success is his fearless and well reasoned content in the unfortunate intolerant climate we find ourselves in. It’s also remarkable as he points out that thinkers like him could easily be shut down and driven out from their current, traditional channels which are also their primary means of livelihood. That is a sad commentary on our intolerant culture but also a statement for why we absolutely need Substack both as a forum for free expression and also as a means to support free voices (monetarily). Kudos to Loury and Substack.
Off topic I know but being found is one of the hardest things when you are starting out. So, I wish Substack would add more categories. I struggled to find a category to fit my newsletter. I teach creative writing for absolute beginners and in the end went with 'How To' and 'Fiction' as there wasn't anything else. I'm starting another newsletter which is crime fiction and articles in a few weeks and I already know it will be hard to categorize.
Thank you for sharing this. I think Loury has alot of great ideas and thoughts. When I read "wokebusters" I signed up for a year. I would not have realized he was on Substack without this series.
Fascinating, I will check it out..
I want to write on Substack. I'm vision-impaired; it's a struggle to write, but I can. I'm elderly and don't know how or even wish to learn the process of business. Substack would grow massively by offering people like me a COMPLETE SETUP template that makes the entire process sleek and streamlined, so all I do is write, hit the button to publish
He's a first.
inequality for you or children
thanks, professor glenn! do you enjoy being one of the only black voices inyour ideological space? or do you wish to expand the number of black voices in your ideological space exponentially?
Thank you for sharing this. I like the keeping it consistent and improving from there advice. All the best