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You are for the most part a good writer and thinker, but I cannot help but deplore your comment that it is "all good."
About ten to twenty years ago, I started to hear a bevy of burghers state that "it's all good,."
People who think it is all good have led charmed, protected and pampered lives. They think it is all good becasue they have never had to sing the blues. They know not a wit about serious physical illnesses, unjust criminal prosecutions, evictions, poverty, rejection and disparagement.
Go tell the people slaughted in the earthquake in Turkey that it is all good.
The assertion that it is "all good" is the vestigial remains of Thomas Aquinas' natural law theory,. Aquinas said:
God is good. God made the world. Therefore the world is good.
Yeah, Right. Typhoid fever and diptheria are good. As Freud said, If I ever met God on his majestic throne I would present him with a child's cancerous bone and ask, "How do you justify this."
David, I take your points to heart. I suspect the intent with "it's all good" to try to find the meaning or higher purpose (what say you, #Livio?) but I do understand. I am a trauma survivor and write about really hard things and how to get through them, so a comment like that, if taken literally, can grate. It's NOT all good. But we do have to find something to come out of it, otherwise there is only despair. While I am no Freud, I am a mental health professional and the things I've heard recently in sessions would make anyone see it's not "all good." And I would indeed hand the violence in the world to God if I had the opportunity. And the child's cancer bone.
In this case, the context was light-hearted and about writing. It seems a bit unfair to chastise someone for using a phrase that, in another context, might office the miserable and afflicted.
Good and bad are just a duality; sometimes, embracing the larger perspective helps find meaning and purpose. We all have good and bad writing days when the juices flow or not. I always appreciate your writing, original thoughts, and perspective. I referred to one of your superb recent articles in my latest post, https://www.inmindwise.com/p/the-power-of-identity-and-perspective
Well, yes. I suggested to Rebecca Holden, when she couldn't think of anything to write about, to write about not being able to think of anything to write about. It's very meta, to use a modernist or maybe a post-modernist term designed to convince people that I'm a big-ass literary critic kind of guy, but it works!
That was probably a joke, but actually, as someone who needs solitude but also loves connecting with people, I actually love writing with people (even on zoom). As long as there are 'no talking' and 'talking' times built in, it's a formula for balaned awesomeness!
It takes me an hour to get through a 10 minute Yoga routine, because I am constantly standing up to use the laptop on a bookshelf and record thoughts I am having. Music helps with that, whether the lyrics of the song or suddenly reminding me of a particular era in my life.
Thanks, Holly! Good to "see" I'm still remembered! I have been more of a "lurker" after that stroke/heart attack/pacemaker implant/severe respiratory infection just as a monster blizzard hit. But...we are now out of winter's tunnel and into 10-plus hours of daylight calm days and an early February thaw has me dragging my old bones out for increasingly longer walks.
And...it has been good to see you all over the place, encouraging others, a valuable contribution to the platform.
After a rare windy day, the atmosphere seems to be catching its breath as the sun goes down, so I better copy this, close and open again, becasue I have been offline for about five hours.
This is one of my favorite things to do. Repost and sometimes revise older pieces that still say what I want them to say. They deserve a whole new audience and now they'll get it!
the half life of the internet is about 0.33 seconds, chances are there is a good deal of your audience who has never seen a piece of writing (new people, people who missed the first post, people who skimmed it). Especially if you add or revise, you can get a whole lot of mileage out of past writing.
Sometimes I'll just take a line or paragraph from an older piece and use it as a prompt to access new writing.
Lots of times reposting lets you gather the thoughts that you had after "pushing the button" -- second thoughts, elaborations, contradictions, new developments. And you might just end up having a totally different idea in the process.
Good opportunity to admit old mistakes, which only enhances the credibility of someone who follows the advice I got when I told my Uncle Bill, "I hate to be wrong!" He said, "Just admit you were wrong and you will be right!"
Would be cool to be able to post them again, as I do in case of cross-posts. Indeed, when I published some of them my audience was quite small still...
But I am not sure how to technically achieve that result.
You obviously haven't read my writing. I'm far more confident in what I do, and how I do it to be wasting time and energy hand-wringing and teeth-gnashing about THAT! But, that's just me.....apparently. And, what Terry said!☝
And, sarcasm apart, I think it is a great suggestion! I'll give it a try with some articles that can be relevant for my audience. Possibly from the authors I recommend.
I suppose anytime you give an external link you run the risk of "losing" readers, even for a time, to that other website. But crossposts are great when you really love an article and it totally adds to what you're doing.
not at all, Livio 😊 i just cross-posted an article for the first time, that i think will inspire my readers. Important thing is that it is relevant to what you're writing about, or parallel, at least.
I have a story about that. I wrote an article about how Israel is not becoming a fascist state despite what his holiness Tom Friedman says. Another writer wrote a more eloquent piece, and ended saying that he fears where we are heading, though it definitely is not in the direction of fascism. What can I say? If I had read his article first I would not have written mine, I think, but in order to provide my readers a wider view of the subject and yes, to introduce them to a good writer, I cross-posted his article. Ladies and gentlemen, the results (as of today):
Don't worry about consistency. One of the best insights I heard was on a podcast (I'll try to find it) where an author blasted the idea of 'write XXX amount of time per day'. She was like....I'm a binge writer. She'd lock herself in a room for 3 days and write a book, and then do nothing for months. Some people work well with consistency.
I don't. I have dozens of drafts floating in my dashboard and as I come across new info I'll go and toss that into a draft, make a new draft, or whicehver. Suddenly one will tip and I'll sit down and binge edit and write. Then I might sit back and not use it that week and shift to something else. I'm not consistent at all except for posting one essay a week. I just don't know half the time which one it will be until a day or so before.
I'm a lot like this and this is such a relief to read. I had made myself feel guilty many times for not having a writing consistency through the years, which made me feel even more blocked. But you're so right...thank you for this!
agree completely, Alicia. I call these my non-writing writing days. I read somewhere that it's impossible for writers to ever truly go on holiday, because everything is potentially grist to the mill
I do this too, I have a file full of drafts and half-drafts and sometimes I sit down to polish one into the weekly newsletter and end up writing something else instead! Whatever feels right and is working best for that week.
You do need to refill your creative tank. But I think that is different than inspiration. I find inspiration usually follows the perspiration. If you wait to write until you are inspired to write, you will wait a long time.
On the contrary, you can amplify your inspiration so that it’s a daily habit and I never said wait until you’re inspired to write. That’s only for amateurs.
Growing up I read quite a bit. I hadn't written anything in years. I wrote my first post here and several people told me that the writing was strong. I am not a writer like many of you here but my point is I don't think you'll lose the habit. I believe these things are ingrained, it all comes back when you restart.
...something that always gets me going is to watch a bio on a writer... Didion, Bellows, Morrison, Ephron. There are so many to choose from. Even on YouTube. Constant inspiration is EVERYWHERE.
Don't worry about having ideas that are not very heartfelt.
If your commitmennt to your ideas are not intense, you will be more adept at modifying them to curry favor with your audience.
In our vulgar, superficial, catty and crabby capitalistic world, people with strong passion,s and loves are burned the most. The snide, sarcastic sons of bitches who really don't give a damn about anything or anyone rise to the top .
And, with all due respect, writing one hour a day ain't that much. However, It is perhaps indicative of being somewhat diligent in the case of 16 year olds who like Beyonce or Justin Bieber
I so get that. I was involved in a traumatic accident at work and couldn't write a thing until last October. I was posting old stuff and avoiding actual writing. I finally signed up for the NaNoWriMo Challenge and got active again. But I'm notoriously lazy. Creative...but lazy.
I posted a query about writing and consistency a few minutes ago. It vanished into the ether. I am posting it again.
Many social media mavens and experts in the egocentric field of self-promotion counsel “writers” to be consistent and to endeavor to make all of one’s posts sort of echo one another and cohere together into a recognizable BRAND.
To me such “consistency” is not only a bore but also the mark of a closed mind. Anyone who utters the same BS for a long period of time is walling off his mind from new ideas which may challenge his straight-jacketed mode of thought.
MY PROBLEM, CONCRETELY: Sometimes I am as red and radical as Bolshevik Russian Borscht. Sometimes I sound like a slightly more erudite version of Archie Bunker. I call ‘em as I see ‘em. I do not adhere to dogmas of the left or the right.
Consequently, I am universally despised. Liberals hate me because occasionally I am conservative. Conservatives hate me because sometimes I sound like a Stalinist.
How does someone whose mind is a motley menagerie of seemingly contradictory ideas gain a following.
This is why I embrace the polymathic mindest. The key is to tone down the rough edges and to leave and let lay much of the time. As a Libertarian I can understand your dichotomy. But then again, I also realize it's rarely binary just like quantum physics.
The good news is, hated people get followed as well.
Do you have en example of these contradictory ideas?
I can't give you the answer because I am seeking a following as well. I know I am not great at self promotion, however most of my posts do have a theme.
One answer is to create a brand around one substack, and if you have a theme to other thoughts, you can place that into another substack.
You can also do some A/B testing. Maybe create one big substack, but view your different interests in terms of "bits" or "segments."
A/B testing is when you try one thing, and then you try something else, and see which resonates more with your audience. Reminds me of Kevin Kostner in the movie "Tin Cup when Renee Russo says at one point that at times she finds him charming so he says "Well then, could you give me a clue what those moments are so that I can replicate them."
I don't do this enough, the A/B testing, and I certainly am not thinking about a strategy behind it.
I do see that you have already separated your substack into Politics/Non Politics.
As for tending to your subbies, cross-posting is a good idea! I've made that suggestion to a few fellow writers, especially if their lone output are posts where they do little more than whine about how badly they feel!
Feel bad all you want, I guess, and even inform your subbies of your "blah-ness," but a more worthwhile endeavor might be to pass along some slightly more substantive content....and, it's OK to shout out the quality content of another 'Stacker!
As for "keeping consistency" in YOUR writing, my go-to is coffee! But, the cross-post...it's not just for breakfast anymore! Good luck!
I’m a little torn on cross posting. I worry I’m simply spamming my subscribers.
I also steer away from too much self indulgence and focus on actions for my readers. I feel I need to give them something you take away and make their life better.
I think you'd only be "spamming" your subscribers if you cross-posted indiscriminately. Ex: Writing about music, I'd love to do a commemorative post on the late Burt Bacharach. As he died "without warning," I was having trouble finding the time to actually get to it.
Lo and behold, a fellow music writer has put together a wonderful tribute. I'll be cross-posting that within the week. Knowing my reader base, I know they'll appreciate it. I consider that "an action for my readers," and nothing in the "self-indulgence" ballpark.
Whether the cross-post will "make their life better," is likely unknowable, at least to me (a measurable analytic I'm hoping 'Stack can conjure up at some point)!
I think people are way overthinking (and missing the point of cross-posting)----not you...I'm putting this on the thread, 'cause I just thought of it: Some people have the notion that cross-posting is akin to copyright infringement/stealing...."oooh, I'd be really careful about cross-posting."
If I cross-post, say, one of YOUR articles, all it is (again, this message is for others on here....not you, Martin!) is like you, all of a sudden, adding my 250 (stop giggling) subscribers to your subscriber list! That's all it is....for those who were screaming about theft or copyright infringement elsewhere here. Anyway, thanks, Martin, for the space to document that on this thread! I couldn't believe (Thursday) all the pointless hand-wringing about cross-posting that was going on!!! Cheers!😁✏
Panera Bread, in full. A national (US) chain. Sandwiches, flatbread pizzas, baked goods, salads....I spend 12-15 hours at them on a regular basis! That alone should explain the coffee consumption! And, the several Panera employees at 4 different Austin locations who subscribe to FR&B can attest to my insistent sales pitch! "ABC" (always be closing, as my brother used to say)!
Hello Brad :) Too bad we can't have a real tea in person. You know my fave at Panera are their cookie muffins, think they have their own name for them...
I hear ya, Birgitte!! That'd be cool! Yes, I just walked by the pastry case (all the baked prisoners were mocking me mercilessly as I trundled by), and it's the Chocolate Chip Muffie. I think I went out with her in high school. Lovely gal. Cheers!
jasmine tea? yeucch. Well, it's ok-ish I suppose. Personally I like tea that will kick-start me when I'm flagging. Hot chocolate: I like it, but am not allowed to have it. <sigh>
I just wish I could figure out how to get more people to cross-post my stuff! I would gladly work with a group of people for cross-posting my favorite material from them.
Well, I would only want someone to cross-post me if they truly dug the content! I'm already "gratuitously" subscribed to too many 'letters....I wouldn't want a slew of people cross-posting because they, somehow, thought they had to (or tit-for-tat something just because I cross-posted one of theirs)!
There's a couple people here today whom I surprised with links......I wrote about someone I remember reading about in one of THEIR articles...it would never occur to me to NOT link to a fellow writer about a similar topic/person if I can remember recently reading their piece.....I'd link to one of MY articles......if I'm aware of a related post on 'Stack (short of doing an exhaustive search, of course), I'll link to theirs as readily as I'd link to one of mine!
Interesting, Brad. I hadn't thought of this. I am relatively new to Substack - just under 4 months - and so my task has been creating consistent informative pieces on healing that are researched. While I've met other 'Stackers, I haven't had an a-ha about cross-posting. Thanks
Somewhere on 'Stack, you can find their original "press-release" where they tell us all about it. Maybe someone here can provide a link to hear it from their mouths! But, I've explained it on a couple of replies here on this thread! Good luck, Faith!!
Totally agree. This is what I've appreciated over the last year, developing an audience of genuine readers and finding communities here. I want to share the work of those who relate to me and make actual connections. But as I try to step away from traditional social media, I'm beginning to think that this might be where I need to start putting a little of my energy.
Actually I like your stuff. I grew up in Vancouver at the same time you were growing up. I used to work with someone (T. Johnson), whose brother was in LOVERBOY. He brought in the demo for their second album. We all went out to the parking lot at lunch, smoked a couple of fatties, and listened to it. Brian Adams played at the bar/hotel she worked the front desk at. Love music!
Cool story, Ben......and, thanks for subscribing!! Please (if you haven't already) feel free to peruse the archived pieces (the Legacy Articles, as I'm prone to say....I even say it when I'm NOT lying down)! Your colleague's brother must've been Doug Johnson, then.
Thanks again for joining us behind the velvet rope line, Front Row & Backstage, Ben!
Write good stuff, and someone will cross-post it. I think it's a good idea and I think I will do it more. It may actually give me the veneer of looking smarter than I actually am.
I'm just realizing that it's an authentic networking tool that I haven't been using. I need to make a habit of doing it a few times a week when I read a piece that is really thought provoking.
No....I've only ever cross-posted (about half a dozen times) to writers to whom I subscribe (because that's, of course, how I'm exposed to their stuff)...and, no, you need not ask for permission. Every writer would/should be eager/grateful for the coverage!!
I guess I see it like "sharing" on social media. I'm not taking credit for the work, I'm just making sure my audience gets something that I also found interesting. I should really do this more often and see if I can get other "Stackers" to do this with me.
And, you'd have anyone's e-mail address (or, be able to get it from 'Stack), because you're subscribing to them. Meanwhile, of the six or so that I've cross-posted, about two have never acknowledged, or *gasp,* thanked me. If they hated the very notion, here's hoping they'd have the guts (or whatever) to, at least tell me......or, I might just think they're merely ungrateful.
I guess when we use the cross-post option, Substack would automatically display the fact that it is someone else's post, right? Or am i wrong? I've not cross-posted yet.
Just for me and the topics I write about, I'd love my work to be shared anywhere! I've had work published in a few magazines and websites, and as long as the sharing is legal, please "share away"!
Well you'd think so but some writers are, I guess understandably, touchy about unauthorised use of their content. You mean you just reprint and reference? (I think I'd probably want to clear it first)
"Unauthorized use," Fiona, is resolved by virtue of the fact you're giving clear and blatant credit to them and their post you're cross-posting. The only down-side is you may get fewer new subscribers from the exposure from the cross-post than you otherwise might've guessed you could have. And, if you're subscribing to them, anyway, and WANT to cross-post, you now have access to their e-mail address. Feel free to ask them. As for me (in case you're just itching to cross-post any of my articles), here's my certified "hey, it's OK....pull the trigger on it!"
I think if you quote someone's material, it's only good form (and legal) to cite where the information comes from. This is basic copyright. Once a person publishes content, they are the sole owner of the written material. My understanding about cross-post is it's sharing or linking to another person's content which I imagine shows that one is giving credit to the other writer.
What exacty is cross posing and WHERE can I find a dictionary of social media terminology.
SPEAKING OF TERMINLOGY:
The English language is often characterized as a tongue with a marked propensity for growth. For example, I have read that for every french word there are five english words. For example, when we discovered the potato, the English made up a new word, potato. The French did not. They called it an apple of the ground, or pomme de terre.
However, Sometimes the linguistic mallebility of English seems to border on schizophrena. For example, why are plasma screen TVs given such a name. Plasma is a constituent of blood. Do we exalt technology so much that we think our boob tubes are akin to the life force that is blood.
Cross-posting is simply sending your subscribers a post of another writer's. When you get an e-mail post of a writer to whom you're subscribing, somewhere on the upper-right-hand corner is a square you can click on that says, "Cross-post." Click on it, and you can write a couple paragraphs (to YOUR subscribers) on why you think they'd like this article by another writer.
Substack will then send an e-mail to that writer informing them that you are cross-posting one of their articles. Here's the important part. That cross-posted article will only "live" in two places----the e-mail of your subscribers, and on your dashboard (so you can see the open rates/analytics of how your subbies react/respond to it, like any of your posts). IT WILL NOT SHOW UP ON YOUR SUBSTACK'S ARCHIVE PAGE (as if it were one of your articles)!
As for dictionary of social media terminology, can't help you!
As for your well-placed questions on words, I direct you to fellow word-lover, Martin Mull, who once said, "Some people have a way with words.....others not have way."
Don't quote me, but I think that "plasma" might be the name of a fourth state of matter: Liquid, solid, gas and plasma." I look it up, but I need to take a walk on a nice February day and don't need to find myself trapped in a rabbit warren on the web. Hmmm. The "web" that so often ensnares me. This reply is turning into a rabbit hole itself. A Black Hole of Time...
Yeah, you are making me think. I think a few of my posts are a bit too much whining 😅 But I try to then share a lesson I have learned by those bad days.
Like in this I share that "I must keep reminding myself" that I am gonna forget the lessons that helped me to go through the dark moments in my path. And that is just fine.
While in this I share that when all seemed to have come to an end, "In doubt, just do" was an antidote to get out of paralysis (and similar slogan to the one of a pretty famous brand I do not want to be associated with 👟).
Well, it seems to boil down to style. I'm amazed at writers who can speak informally to their subbies. I see what I write more as articles, and not chatty little newsletters where I'm talking to a neighbor over the fence. But, you need to be true to you....the kids, I think, like to say, "You be you."
But, if I'm helping you think about new approaches, fine!
I'll be 68 next month, and would love to have my "articles" outlive me, and be documents, to a degree, of rock history in the years after I'm gone. I also have several industry types subscribing to me, and I know that they expect deep, thoughtful dives into rock and pop music, its history and artists.
This isn't at all constructive, but given the subject matter of this thread it deserves sharing: <<and, it's OK to shout out the quality content of another 'Stacker!>>
I've published every day on Substack for over 2 and a half years with the exception of an unplanned 6 day break bedridden with illness. So I think I'm eminently qualified to say: take a break if you need it. I promised my readers daily fiction. If you made no such promises, it's cool to take a day to let ideas percolate or just give your mind a rest. As someone else mentioned, you can be working on things like research without being pressured to hit the publish button.
I think we also need to normalize changing our minds and our committments to our readers. I've been publishing a founding member's letter once a week on Wednesday in addition to my weekly free Sunday letter and I realized it's just too much right now.
I think being honest and transparent with your readers and explaining why you need to shift your writing output humanizes all of us. In the end, we have to model the life we want for ourselves and others- including taking breaks and scaling back when needed!
Thanks for this, Mariah. I think it's a really good point. We have to figure out what works for us in our schedules and what we can reasonably complete. And if something changes to let subs know. I myself have a weekly, researched, article on topics such as emotion, grief, healing from trauma, and yes Joy! Yesterday I published a piece on resilience (check it out here: https://faithcbergevin.substack.com/p/resilience-really) as I am kind of fed up with the term. I also release an audio every week on the same essay for those who prefer to listen. It's a lot. And since I have paid subscribers, I am offering a monthly reflection (first one coming out soon). We'll see how it goes. But we need to balance our needs too. And being honest and transparent as you've said goes a long way to build relationship :)
I noticed that writing the daily articles was taking a little longer than I had planned. Apparently, this is what you are talking about. Maybe I should take a little break...
Yes, I know it's about #'s and say what ya want but no one wants to write in a void. Once ya get your audience and can write better for them and with them all other things will fall more in place. But til then all's fair. Keep finding what works
I have a goal to publish every Thursday night, which is largely bc my family is exhausted and in bed early at that point in the week. It’s turned into Friday AM and last week was Sunday. What I was trying to say wasn’t ready until then. It’s important to always write, but publishing needs to be when it’s ready.
Publishing an article every day for two and a half years is commendable, Jimmy! Do you give yourself a couple of days a month to take a break, or are you stable in this regard?
I took a break when I had COVID. So there was one 6 day gap in the middle. I even publish stories on days I work on films. Substack stressed consistency as a key to success. I've given them that.
Thanks for the answer, Jimmy. It's rare to find a man who keeps the promises he makes to his audience for so long. Consistency is the way to success, I'll remember that!
I'm going to be (maybe) a contrarian here. On days you don't feel like writing, you must still write.
Jerry Seinfeld worked every day. He called it 'The Streak' and he wasn't going to break it. Does every day have to be epic? Does every day have to be long? No. But put a word on paper.
A good approach especially if you procrastinate or avoid writing. Habits are good and you can start with 5-10 mins and see where it goes. Others may work more organically and that works too.
This is what i actually do, Chris. If i can't write my Morning Pages then i at least write one sentence. It has often become the title of a future song!
The best way to get writing is to write about why you don't have anything to write about today. A strange boolean loop that actually gets it going.
I'm always curious about when announcers talk about pro-athletes, who have skipped just a day or two of practice. They always say 'it's going to take a day or two to find their rhythm again."
Pro athletes - at the top of their game - needing to refind their rhythm just because they missed a day?
Writing is like that for me. I need to write to stay in shape. But yeah, different strokes for different folks.
Great advise, Chris.....Having gone to college in the early '70s, I tried "The Streak." Can't say it helped my writing any, but I did get a lot of pointers.........and laughers.
But, seriously, a good idea, especially the reminder that you need not produce a "War and Peace" every day to consider yourself productive!
You have described most of my days when the scheduled time arrives. I have proven, over and over, that if I just get started, I'll find myself writing away and quoting Gilda Radner, "Did *that* come out of *me*!
Proofreading unsubmitted pieces will lead me to editing/revising. Our brains are loaded with ideas and sometimes you just have to poke a hole in the "dam" to start a flood. If nothing else, you will remind your brain that you have an important issue to resolve and it will work away on it as you sleep, or even nap.
Also, take a walk, watch a video or look at cartoons that you know will make you laugh! Laughter has a way of opening the creative sluices on dams.
So friggin' true! I think part of the reason I don't write is very simple (and outlined in Pressfield's great work 'The War of Art'): SELF-DOUBT. For me, I need to string the days together come hell or high water or self-doubt will start getting more and more of a foothold then it already has.
Some say that "80 percent of success is just showing up." One could quibble about the number, but the big idea is that if you don't show up, you will have a zero percent chance of succeeding. If you *do* show up, then whatever you produce is a success in the sense of having something to show for your time, besides a callous on your remote thumb or a cramp in the hand you have been holding your phone with.
Even awkward phrasing or structure can show you what *doesn't* work.
My problem is not writing. I write a *lot*. I can't stop the ideas or the compulsion to write them. But my self-doubt comes in when it is time to hit that big orange button and publish the ess oh bee. That has to stop. I am 80 now and had two heart attacks in the last year. And a stroke that impaired my left field of vision. The age-old question of "If not now, when?" will be answered in a single word if I don't overcome that fear: That word is "Never!"
It is also a good way to discuss important issues with something. Instead of sitting across from each other, feeling like you have to fill the dead air time, even though you have nothing profound to add, you can just walk along, drift into small talk about that '55 Chevy that just went by, and then get serious again when you brain is ready to feed some new connections to your mind.
Agree with a lot of the great advice below about taking breaks, being kind to yourself, etc. Another think you can do is write an extra amount when you DO feel motivated. I like to calendar a lot of my posts to allow for bigger rests in between.
Kathleen, am catching up after the fact (I juggle kid responsibilities with writing, so sometimes can't join this thread "live"). Looks like I may be in Basel all July & August - would love to grab a coffee with you and share tips & tricks about Substack writing, if you are interested?
I wish this is a problem that got easier over time. I'm almost two years in, and sometimes life completely gets in the way of me being able to get writing done. It's okay.
For all my bloviating here, Cole, I should mention that I'm retired! No job, no family, and my friends will be happy to know they're but a scant few. So, the time to write, compress, be inspired, be not-too-into-it, etc is, thankfully, fairly abundant. Take that into account.....and, why not..........this virtual hug from across the wires and miles!😉👍
I have a similar situation that you do. I have no wife and family, I am working freelance in Illustration, Graphic Design, and Writing. I think I spend way too much time on substack on my interests, but then again I also spend way too much time sending out proposals...doing other things...it is a balance issue.
Balance, indeed, Jimmy..........but, as a retiree, I get Soc Sec, which helps, and I'm not driven to have to find work, anymore...can just concentrate on getting out "onto paper" all my cool experiences/stories from my past!
In my experience, when I don't feel like writing, it's actually that I don't feel like writing in a structured, effortful way.
It often helps me to get some juices flowing by writing an off-the-cuff journal entry in another text editor.
It feels easy because it doesn't matter if it's not good, then as I keep writing I often end up finding something that I would actually like to share and maybe even polish up.
Maybe don't put all the pressure on yourself to produce? Starting some discussion threads, or inviting some guests posts could help you mix things up. Cross posting is also a way to share quality content in place of one of your own posts (basically a guest post without the rigamorole?).
You do have to give yourself a break and also take time to think about other things. That is often when inspiration strikes. My substack is a summary/commentary of non-fiction books and so I read a LOT! I find it is when I take a little time away that I see connects, themes and have the moments of serendipity that fuel me to go on.
I hear you, thanks for this! I tend to take a lot of time away from writing, probably more than I want and then is when I struggle to come back hahaha. Consistency along with true drive is there. Also i tend to have a dilemma between my both languages and wanting to use them both. And these little big details keep me holding myself back which is also the issue. It's good I've been able to become aware of this all I guess!
I feel you! I don’t try to write every day.. But even trying to post once a week is a lot. Hopefully forums like this help motivate us.
It is a vulnerable thing to do to put your writing out there. So it’s good to have at least a handful of people who really share their encouragement with you
If you do what I did, you will always be able to write. Your writing will not necessarily be insightful or interesing, but you will produce a prodigious quantum of written matter.
I became a lawyer. A lawyer cannot tell the Court that his written submssions are not ready because he was not in the mood to write. The Court will harrangue and hound the attorney into the hottest recesses of hell for such cutesy, adolescent complaints
If you have a job which compells the constant production of paper, you will learn to crank it out no matter how you feel.
Thanks for your very good point! We either commit or we don't. And we can't hit every single one out of the park. Who said, "Don't let perfection be the enemy of the good?" I think it's Voltaire, but I think I heard President Obama say it.
I have the opposite of writer's block, more like writer's flood. So I'm wondering: should I post more than one post a day, schedule the posts, or write a magazine-type newsletter containing several articles on different topics. If anyone has any thoughts on this I'd love to hear them. Cheers!
Unless they are time sensitive pieces, my recommendation is to build up a catalog of scheduled future posts. There will come a day where this stops ot slows, if even briefly, and having posts on standby is a relief.
Definitely agree on making a stash! I get frustrated too when I feel like ‘oh this thing already happened it’s no longer relevant’ but there are ways to reframe the idea and keep it in the mix.
What is this mythical catalog of which you speak? :) In theory, there is no better idea. In reality, I haven't found a way to create future posts. I'm always working to my self-imposed deadline, one essay at at time. I do have the benefit of a cache of pieces from across the years, but I have not been successful at adding new content to the repository. #goals
Oh, how I wish I could keep a stash of future posts. I've never been able to bank more than a couple. I post weekly, and the discipline of the schedule has been a help. Keeps me focused, though there are times when I have felt very crushed.
Yes Brian, back up material always handy esp when faced with deadlines. I posted a day early by mistake just due to post stress and changes in schedule. Consistency is important
Oh, I don't know about posting more than once a day! I'm nervous about even once a day, mainly because I'm picturing my own inbox and how I feel when it's inundated by newsletters from the same people too often.
I solve it by ignoring them, and I'm probably missing out on some good stuff, but I see it as someone appearing at my door every day. No matter how much I might like them, if I know they're going to be knocking at my door that regularly I'm already getting annoyed. And I especially wouldn't want to see them MORE than once a day.
I have SO many newsletters stacked up that I need to read. Thank GOODNESS for the ability to turn off email notifications and keep the newsletters on my Reader App.
That's a good analogy, Ramona. I get frustrated and tetchy when I receive more than one a day from the same person. But I only threw that in for the sake of completeness. I would very rarely do it, if ever
Yes Ramona, email clog bad and we must be aware not to add to it. I had idea come my way regarding sending posts in a different language. Has anyone done this?? If so, would like to try it and send posts separately to that audience
Ooo...Terry, I like this idea of a magazine-type newsletter with several articles. As a reader, I can't keep up with more than a couple of posts a week from most publications.
I'm the same, Holly. And the comments (will reply to yours soon -- thank you!). I received a magazine-type newsletter from someone the other day and it was really good to sit down and read several articles in one place
TBD over at Thanks For Letting Me Share posts daily, but Saturday he sends out a digest recapping the posts of the week. That's really cool for the weeks that are super busy for me and I can't get to it all.
I've been doing weekly (ish) roundups that are a mix of my writing, cross posts or links to other substacks (because that is one of the most beautiful things about this place, songs, tiktoks, whatever i've collected during the week that's helped me feel inspired.
They are still probably too long (because i tend to be a huge collector of inspiration) and Im playing with whether or not to make them free, or paypall part... but I've really enjoyed doing them.
Then - i either use the smaller bits to prompt a larger essay, or a slice the roundup into smaller instagram pieces that point back to substack.
It gets overwhelming because I want to read every single post. I'm learning to let that mindset go. There are certain 'stacks I know I want to read every post, so when I have time, I go check out their archives to see what I've missed. There are others that I'm okay with missing.
I'm the same. I've signed up to SO MANY that it's become unmanageable. I sat down to cull some yesteday and struggled to let any go. Hhmm. Must learn to kill my darlings...
Yes, I think that's the way I do it, too. Sometimes I'll read a post that really grabs me and then I'm there sitting in their parlor, reading more and more and enjoying it thoroughly.
I think if they came too often into my inbox I'd miss some of them because I just don't have time to look at all of them every day.
I love the analogy of "sitting in their parlor" because that's how I feel when I sit with one writer for a while. And now I'm realizing just how much I enjoy that, so I think this week I will try the sitting in one writer's parlor at a time to get through my reads. :)
I would just start writing and schedule them out. That's what I try to do when I have more to write about and time to write but I don't want to flood my readers' inboxes.
Thanks, Sarah. Yes, I worry about inbox-flooding too. Sometimes I post articles without sending them anywhere, and then allude to them in a future posting
That's great! If it were me, I would schedule the posts in advance because I would anticipate a "drought" to follow. Or I'd write a ton at once but let some languish in drafts for a while until I can really polish them up and make them shine. As a reader I get overwhelmed when I get more than one post per day from anyone.
Personally, I prefer a digest of multiple topics I can scan rather than a daily email. Too many emails and I'll often set them aside to read later... of course, later never comes. ;-)
Ooo…! I used to have that as a kid. Blessing and a curse. I would say organize your work into topics and sections. Maybe play with release dates and schedule away. Whatever cadence you think will be more engaging should win out. If that’s longer, researched pieces or more frequent quips, try and find out.
This is what I've begun doing. My issues have three topics of different kinds of content and are limited to one issue a week. I think this will be more readable for most than the constant barrage of emails/posts.
You can add a line or two to the newsletter going out to inboxes, then edit it out once it's been posted. That way your subscribers will see it, but it won't stay on your page.
I would probably schedule them. Also, writing too much may lower the quality of each post. So, maybe use a notes app to get your thoughts on paper, then work on them one at a time to make a top-quality newsletter per day. Unless your community wants more than 1 a day, ask them
I say not more than one post a day. Personally, I think that the reader/subscriber can get inundated with all these posts. Sometimes, I can't read all of your posts in the same day. But when I get time, I go back to them and catch up. My 2 cents.
I was hoping to come down with writer's flood syndrome myself. I am able to imagine it, and to imagine what I would do with it. I would not look to cure myself. As for Substack, I think that I would not mail everything. Put them up on the site, possibly add more pages if you have material that can be categorized. Then send out a mailing like the ones you send recommending other writers with short excerpts, linking to those online posts. Recommend yourself.
Hey Terry, been thinking same esp regarding the content for a private substack. I have no writers block either. Have been writing here for a year now with all new material rarely even touch older material. Focus on what ya love see who follows or find out what themes readers prefer. Hope that helps
Just stopping in to say thank you to the Substack team at large. I've been on the platform now for a year (woohoo!) and it's given me an opportunity to publish my fantasy and science fiction short stories and be a part of a great community of readers and writers. It's been such a positive, refreshing experience and I think 2023 is going to be another great year. Thanks Katie to you and everyone keeping things rolling here on office hours. ⭐⭐⭐
Congrats on the 1-year mark. We see many come and go and many who come on with grand illusions as to how easy this is. Those with a realistic vision tend to last and provide value.
I'm here because I see Substack added quite a few features recently and I thought I could be helpful for folks who are at different places on their newsletter journey.
Congrats Sofia! I hope you keep going. If you can target once a week, that's often a good benchmark to stay in touch with subscribers. We have found that the format type doesn't matter as much as consistency does. Your weekly post doesn’t have to be a lengthy essay, it could be a short post, an audio note, or discussion thread. Here are a few examples of different post styles: https://on.substack.com/p/types-of-posts-on-substack
Agreed! Switching up your format is a great way to keep a consistent schedule, and it also helps to shake loose your writing pen if you’re feeling less motivated. Also, consider collaborations and cross-posts!
Welcome, Sofia! Early on in my Substack journey, I decided to start posting once a week. This consistent schedule kept me constantly churning at the keyboard, writing a little something every day so I could meet that deadline. So that's the best advice I can give--pick a publishing schedule that works for you then cut it in half. :) At one point I decided to publish twice a week, which worked for that unbusy season in my life. After a couple of months, I realized that once a week is the sweet spot for me.
I have seen many Substacks have an initial rush and then they peter out, and that is frustrating as a reader. Better to find something that works for you and stick with it. I found once a month to be too much pressure for me, as for my newsletter Be Your Own Hero (https://louisejulig.substack.com) I am writing longer articles. I found five to six weeks works best for me right now, and in my Welcome email I set expectations with my subscribers that "I can't guarantee Be Your Own Hero will come out at entirely predictable intervals, but I can guarantee I'll put a lot of thought into whatever I send." I felt much better after that. I'm experimenting with publishing book reviews in between some of my longer articles, but then my book reviews went long, lol.
Welcome to the other side. ;-) Momentum comes as you develop your voice and find a stride to work within. I have way more stories in my to-do list than I have time to write now that I've found my voice here. Best thing is to find a good writing day and write ahead a few stories so you have some "in the bank". Keep that bank full and you'll never feel the PRESSURE to produce.
Probably wade it out for a few days or a few weeks, so you can have more content to write about. Don’t want to go to overboard with writing to the point where you get carpal tunnel syndrome lol.
I know how painful it is to put your bleeding heart onto the page to crickets. It hurts like hell, but pushing through is absolutely worthwhile in my experience. You and your writing are growing regardless of the current response (or lack there of). You're showing up for yourself and that's always the first and, I think, scariest step. It's brave as hell. Most people won't do that much.
Mainly social channels. Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, my own website, and couple random ones. I subscribed to a couple mailing list sites like Inboxreads and The Sample. I’ve recently printed promotional cards with a QR code to hand out and/or accidentally drop in comp titles in bookshops. Going to schedule some time screaming from rooftops next :-)
Ha! Don't take to the rooftops yet. I have posted nearly nothing about my Substack on socials. I mostly did that because I didn't actually want my friends and family reading. :) What I have done is simply engage in the comments of other substacks I'm reading and show up here most weeks. That's where the growth began. Now subscribers are also arriving through the recommendations of other writers, too. It's been painfully slow at times, but I'm finally nearing 300 subscribers after eight months with a 60-70% open rate on each post. I also have great engagement in my post comments. My writing is very different from yours, but there are readers out there just waiting to discover your work. Try resting from social media for a couple of weeks and simply show up in Substack. Obviously, don't spam, but thoughtfully commenting on others' work raises a level of interest in who you are and what you're writing.
Congrats Holly, that's wonderful. I haven't done enough of what Holly advises which I think is wonderful advice. I still haven't figured out where to engage. My sub is about renovation and architecture and there isn't a category for that yet.
Bill, I haven't posted on social but I sent the newsletter to people I know and most of them subscribed. The silence is is an odd behavior. I don't have any comments on my posts but I know people are reading from the analytics. One of my posts on foam insulation did well on the Sample, maybe because people could relate to it. That brought in a bunch of subscribers.
I've just subscribed, RenoQueen. We live in a 1930s bungalow that we're renovating bit by bit. We also own a 120-year-old two-story commercial building in our town that we operate as an event venue. There's always something to fix there! Looking forward to your tips and tricks.
Thank you for the thoughtful comments! Good advice to relax from social, it’s the worst. I have done some engagement on other stacks and will do more to be sure.
I wish could remember where I saw it, but someone posted stats on all their social efforts and the ROI was dismal. I'd be curious to know if you start gaining subscribers by focusing your efforts here on Substack rather than social media.
Lots of good info here. Just really hard to follow in the thread, when I click on a reply to me It just takes me back to the full thread and I have to find it by scrolling or Find "keyword".
I think categories or a direct way to get to your comments/replies would be a great feature add.
Heck yes. Every office hours post has many comments about how quickly people get lost in here.
If you make a comment that you want to be able to get back to easily, you can click on the timestamp next to your comment as soon as it's posted. That link will consistently take you right back to your own comment, and you can easily see any replies. For example, here's the link to your comment: https://on.substack.com/p/office-hours-67/comment/12652654
I really think Substack should use this link in the notifications, instead of having every comment notification link to the overall thread.
Hi all - I am brand new here :-) I am preparing to launch a weekly newsletter next week called "The Creative Tusk", about how each one of us can develop a creative mindset and practice creativity in our personal and professional lives - especially if you are in a "non-creative" vocation. Mind is inundated with making sure the launch is smooth. I am also looking forward to connecting with fellow writers and being part of this community.
Hello Substackers, I'm relatively new here. I launched The Healthy Jew: Finding Wellness With Purpose a month ago. Growth is going slow but I hope steady, and,more important, I love this platform and it's writers centered model.
My Substack covers the numerous intersections of health and Judaism. Ill add that although it deals with many religious subjects, the content and message is always universal.
My question is if I should put I the settings the primary topic as spirituality and religion or health and wellness? Or does it not make a difference?
How else can I network this topic in the Substack community?
Hi Shmuel, whichever category you choose to put first is how you are considered for the leaderboards. The other category helps with search. I'd take a look at each leaderboard and see which one feels like good company for your publication today. You can always change it later.
Thanks! So besides the leaderboarding - which is of course a long term goal, but not immediatly relevant - I'm not making a statement with this for how I'm presenting my publication to potential readers?
Shmuel, I write about faith a good bit, and I have my first category set to Culture and second as Faith and Spirituality. I agonized over which categories to choose because in end, none of them cover my slice-of-life writing. I've written about my son's addiction and recovery, my experience as a stem cell donor for my brother fighting AML, my life in rural Mississippi, and random people who have crossed my path and changed me. No neat little box satisfies--so I just closed my eyes, picked two, and let me writing and recommendations do the rest.
I'm having the same query! I put the primary as spirituality and secondary as wellness. I figure I will leave it like that for a month and then switch, see if it makes a difference?
I would pick religion and spirituality; in my perspective of what you write, spirituality would subsume all else, including health and wellness. Of course, I am never sure exactly where my writings fit. I wrote for many years under health and wellness, which now I feel somewhat misses the point. Sometimes my expression is more in the philosophy and spirituality area. I sometimes get beyond my scope of knowledge. Recently, when I wanted to talk about Martin Buber, eastern mysticism, and Kabbalah, I got over my head, put that part aside, and wished I had stuck with health and wellness.
Thanks Ron, I definitely agree that "from the inside" I'm writing a religion column - with the belief that religion is a formula for healthy living, a proposal that I explore in various ways pretty much every week.
I'm still unsure though from the practical standpoint though which one will be more effective in getting to the widest audience. Sounded from Katie that doesn't make difference until I get to Leaderboard, which is a ways off.
In the meantime, I haven't even got to the point where my column comes up when I search "health and Judaism." One step at a time.
I published my first piece yesterday. I've been blogging for 12 years on my own WordPress site. I posted diligently, 4 or 5 times a week, plus my contributors. But it plateaued and faltered in 2015. I missed those days when I was back in that same groove I had as a journo and editor of a print magazine. I can feel myself sliding back into that space again with Substack. Love it.
Fixes? I'd be grateful for more creative freedom with formatting the actual website. I understand that we might have a choice of themes coming out?
Benvenuto James, fellow polyglot, film biz veteran and world traveler! Ah, creative freedom on a platform designed to serve volumes is necessarily about compromise... but it's doable. As Nancy says below, you do have a fair amount of freedom with the written content and hopefully we'll gain more over time. With any platform like this that gives you access to a vast community, you give up a little autonomy. I'm ok with that... otherwise I'd be here all day playing with colors :)
Totally with you on this, James. It's the control one has as a writer that's so important--no editors leaning over my shoulder saying, hey, you need to cut out 150 words.
Also with you on formatting the pages. I'm grateful for the opportunity to put up more than one image at a time but would like to be able to play around with text--i.e., centering a piece of poetry which so far I've not been able to do.
I'm quite tall, too. I don't know if you've read my inaugural post, but in the bazaars of Mussoorie, where it took place, the shopkeepers gave me Amitabh's nickname, "lambu shehzada," the tall crown prince. My man servant was known as the 'lambu shehzada ka chela,' which means the tall crown prince's disciple. He was so proud of that. He was an Untouchable, the shopkeepers upper caste, but because of his association with me... Anyway, for another post.
I understand, from some sources, that the "untouchables" as a caste are not as looked down upon these days in India as in earlier years... do you find that to be true? Is there any hint of society equalizing a bit as people realize we are all the same flesh and blood?
That last snippet needed a whole bunch of context and an explanation of the caste system, which I'll be exploring further down the line. In many instances in India, especially in those days, it wasn't possible to manage a house without staff. I always called Jumna "my man," but that sounded like he might be my romantic partner, so I went with the Indian English term "man servant" to make the distinction. Before working for me he was a gardener, never came in the house because of his Untouchability contaminating the food, and other truly shocking beliefs. By changing the role that he was born to play his entire life, I changed his life for good; staff trained in Western households come at a premium in India. He was married at 11... it's very hard to explain all this without shattering every American notion of decency. I'm sure that 30 years later, his family's house in his native village is the envy of neighbors.
Very thoughtful, thank you James for taking the time to write this. I've been to South America where the relatively well off have household staff, and they're not always treated right. No wonder the people end up protesting in the streets. Hell, I would if I were treated like that just b/c of the family I'd been born into. Good on you that you treated him so well and gave him a view into what is possible.
Hahaha. Don't be jealous... okay, go ahead. I have a LOT to say. I am going to import some older posts from my blog that are relevant to this new focus and purpose. Per my About page, I've been blessed and cursed by an exotic life; it's purely circumstantial, and I Iean heavily on the side of determinism in the free will-determinism debate, so it's nothing I take credit for — it just happened that way. Once upon a time, Dad was a Cold War spy in Italy, and Mum was a regular Auntie Mame...
I’m new here, So I run a substack where one of my goals is too raise awareness of International News to everyone especially those who are not interested. While I have found some success in getting those who are not interested in International News interested in it, I still want to reach other people. If there is any substackers who can give me advice on doing that, it would be greatly appreciated.
That is the main question here on Substack -- how to find readers. Honestly, I wonder about that too. I have a modest subscriber list of a little over 200 and most of those have come from people I am already connected to on social media or in real life that I have let know about my work. If you don't have a topic that is financial or recipes or something that has a broad appeal I'm not sure how people are doing it. Best of luck though -- I will check out your Stack. Mine is Be Your Own Hero, about being brave in small moments. Good luck!
Thanks for this Katie. Top of mind today is finding other memoirists on Substack. A "Memoir" category on the the Explore page would be a very welcome addition.
I'm a memoirist here on Substack. I incorporate research with my lived experiences on topics such as mental health, emotion, and dealing with the "unspeakable" nature of some traumas, resulting in feeling like we must remain silent. It is not for everyone, but it is my hope that sharing my work illuminates and creates a feeling of community, instead of isolation. My most impactful piece is this (if you're interested):
I am seeing lots of interest in the memoir collective idea! btw for anyone interested in More Memoir, the best way to stay tuned is to subscribe to my 'stack for now. We have a couple of core members already and are aiming to get something out in the next couple of weeks!
It gave me both encouragement and ideas for promoting my first self-published work. I'm still frustrated by slow growth, but trying to focus on slow and steady.
We have previews for email and website, on mobile and desktop, for free and paid users. I would love to see one more option on the users dropdown, to see what the page looks like for people who are not logged in to Substack.
For example when a post gets shared widely and a large number of people come in from an external site, what do they see? I'm mostly interested in making sure my subscribe buttons don't double up with any default Substack buttons or prompts.
Hello all, and happy Office Hours! Here's a little bit of encouragement from one small newsletter to all of you:
Today, I want to talk about the often invisible effects of our work. How many pieces of written work have you read that changed your life in some way, and the writer of that work has zero idea? How many of those writers have you gone back to and thanked, or left a comment, or sent a private message or piece of fanmail? If you're like me, it's not many!
This isn't a message to guilt you, but to encourage you: if this is something you relate to, then just imagine how many people might be out there reading your work and loving it, yet not able to tell you for whatever reason? Maybe they're shy, or maybe they just don't know how to say it. You might even be changing someone's life and have NO idea! That's why it's incredibly important to keep pushing forward, even if you aren't getting the feedback you hope for. Your invisible readers are very much real people, and they love what you do!
This week a reader accidentally replied to one of my posts rather than forwarding it to their friend. They never comment on the articles or like or anything, but here they were forwarding it to a friend with a kind note. It was really nice to see a slice of life of a reader, and to know that engagement is happening even if it's not happening in ways visible to substack.
I did reply and tell the reader that their intended recipient did not receive it, and thanked them for reading. Who knows how many little events like this are happening that we DON'T accidentally get to see!
Yes Scoot, great point. I have just started sending replies to writers and getting around to reading and commenting where and when I can. A lot of posts are quite long and involved can't read them all. Schedule a day to send writer love. Those comments and the elusive shares are gist for the mill
That is pretty awesome! I often wonder how I can get more people to share my work, but I love that you got to accidentally see some good coming from your Substack :-)
So many books, articles, and quotes have molded me into the person I am today. Just this morning, Kerri over at Three Small Smiles inspired me to keep going. Julie at Run to Write does that often, too. I never know when the words I need to read are going to land. That's why it's important to me to read the obscure writers out there.
Hi Holly, just wanted to say I just read your posts and loved them! How do you discover your writer friends and form a connection with them? Is it just something as simple as commenting on each other post, or is it something else? When you first started writing, how did you get more engagement and build your community?
Thanks, Karlie! My strategy was simply to write--to show up every week with a new post. Then I started checking out other writers and reading--many of them unrelated to what I write about. And as I engaged with other writers/spaces, they took notice of what I was doing. Some became supporters of my Substack via mentions and recommendations. Take, for example, TBD at Thanks for Letting Me Share. Early on, I wrote about my son's addiction/recovery journey. I think I found TBD and his 'stack here in Writer Office Hours. He reached out with encouragement, and I started reading TFLMS. And WOWZA how it helped me so much. TBD has pointed to several of my posts in his newsletters, and has even recommended me via the recommendations feature. I've gained over 80 subscribers from TFLMS--all because I was a mother desperate to learn more about addiction recovery. When you start getting more subscribers, things will start to snowball from there. As for the engagement in the comments, I think it's just my writing style. People have said they feel like I've invited them to sit down for a cup of coffee and talk like old friends. I write with authenticity and encourage others to share their thoughts, even though their opinions may be different from mine.
So true and timely for me to hear as I'm approaching the half-year of my newsletter. I do occasionally hear from someone regarding the impact of my writing -- just often enough to keep me motivated! Just a few weeks ago my husband told me his coworker was moved by an essay I wrote, and neither of us even knew he was subscribed or reading. It meant a lot that he would say something.
Reminiscent of what I read and flagged just days ago in Colm Toibin's "The Master" but had never considered myself...
"He had never, in all the years, seen anyone purchase or read one of his books. And even if he has witnessed such a scene, he would not have known the effects of his sentences. Reading was as silent and solitary and private as writing."
So true, since I started on substack, I have read so many pieces that have made me think and changed how I view things. But because it is a gradual process, the writer of those pieces may never know.
I agree that it can be a gradual process, Sharon. That's why I keep a running note (in Evernote) of the articles I read that speak to me--maybe it's only a whisper, sometimes it's a shout, but all of those stitches come together eventually to form the tapestry.
I get this. As an English teacher at universites in Korea, every now and then a student would write me years later to say I'd made a difference. And so they made a difference for me.
I try to hit all the folks I follow with a comment or kind word. I do agree that getting feedback, comments and some love go a long way towards making me want to write more and I hope I can have a positive effect on those writers I love on!!
We have so little time, it’s important to tell people how you feel. I’ve done that with writers, fashion designers, influencers, craftsman… my one mission is to leave the place better than I found it.
YES! Coincidentally, my post for this Saturday is about a 1969 LIFE magazine article that helped set the course for my life. Eight pages of words and images about the development of the Apollo Lunar Module. It fueled my interests in spaceflight, engineering, and art ... and quite possibly is the reason my office is filled with spacecraft contractor models. I hope to pass that spark of inspiration on to the next generation of Space Geeks.
Yes! I get comments around from different places (rarely on my posts, usually in-person or through social media or DMs), that tell me my work is landing. And you are right, I do read in “ghost mode” at times, too 👻
Thanks for the reminder, S.E.! A couple of week's ago a fellow Substacker wrote a lovely piece and I'm going to Shoutout about her here because it had an impact on me:
She had these little card designs on creating a new alphabet of intentions and I chose two: being CURIOUS over critical and being FREE-SPIRITED over functional. I took it to heart and that night went dancing and felt more free-spirited in a long time and curious about something that been bothering me (rather than critical which had been my default where one particular issue was involved). So yes, sometimes we write something and it has a profound impact on others - and yes, S.E., I did tell Roxanne directly :)
Dear Substack, I'd really love for you to go back to the "Let me read it first" message rather than "No thanks". It's friendlier, and more descriptive.
Most of what Substack does and is, though, is wonderful! I hope that discussion threads like this can keep the same positive sincerity as they grow bigger and bigger.
Personally, I'm happy to have hit publish on a post a couple days ago (https://alasdairpedley.substack.com/p/breakthroughs) , though I'm having trouble sticking to my aim of a weekly post. I don't want to write for the sake of getting it done, I'd rather wait until I have some inspiration and something good to give to my readers. Tricky balance.
Yes me too Diane don't know why Substack changed that. Have you noticed when you press the share button it comes up Shared. Which doesn't jive with my 0 share #'s
Related -- the subscribe flow is too damn long! There are like five or six different pages asking people to do things! It almost makes me want to turn off chat and the podcast just so it reduces pages. Every time I get someone to subscribe in real life, they complain about the flow.
When someone subscribes, they need to go through some pages (recommend, subscribe to other substacks, etc.). What we suggest is that on a single subscribe page you enter your email, choose what type of subscription, click ok and you are on the writer's home page.
Yes, yes yes!!! I hate the "no thanks" button. "Let me read it first" is so much more inviting and friendly, and actually acknowledges the way most people work. I always check out the rest of the posts before I subscribe. The "No thanks" button feels passive aggressive.
I am not sure what the purpose of the page is as it feels premature and gets in the way. Anything it does could easily be done on the main page. I'd prefer to subscribe once I have had a chance to read a few posts.
I'll clarify that I do understand the intent. The page's purpose is to provide a quick description of the newsletter. However, the type is so small that I don't think many people read it and it creates an unnecessary extra click. Perhaps if it did more... for example, it provided a preview of the writer's most popular post, it might be more useful. Or do away with it and have a larger header/description on the main page that goes away when someone has subscribed.
"Never write with a bad faith reader in mind. You always need to write for your most enthusiastic, most interested subscriber, who loves what you do. The minute you start writing for this reader in your head who will tear apart everything you say, or god forbid you’re writing for the most respected expert in your field who might be looking to disagree with you or catch you out, you’re not gonna produce good writing, you’re not gonna produce a good podcast. You will tie yourself in knots hedging every sentence and including far too much reasoning and information - and let’s be honest that’s what academic writing is for...
By all means cite the scholars whose work you use, provide reading suggestions if you want, quote other authorities, give credit where credit is due definitely. But if you are speaking or writing for a public audience you have to trust yourself that the way you’ve processed the information is reasoned and valid and is coming from a knowledgeable, sensible perspective. If you don’t trust your own expertise, how can you expect your readers to trust your expertise?"
The number of times, on topics, I've heard the 'what makes you think you can speak on this.' or 'what credentials do you have'. Fundamentally these are from small minded people who are often spiteful. Becuase it doesn't take a huge effort to study and grow yourself.
That's what I'm trying to help people see with my essays. That you can explore new areas, find new things and, as I love to say. "Learn, Unlearn, and Relearn" which is the core of Polymathic Being.
And also, everyone else is allowed to poke holes in our arguments using the facts, point out glaring errors and generally say "nope"! Both are allowed, and both are healthy, and the best thing that can happen is when everyone is kind and polite and respectful about it.
(I've published a few things with embarrassing errors, and I hope to do so again, because (a) it taught me something, and (b) the readers who corrected me were really awesome about it. Correcting someone graciously when they're wrong, in a way that doesn't make them feel ashamed for making the mistake, is such a great and kind skill, and I wish it was taught at school because it's never been more needed.)
It's all about daring to put yourself out there.. And taking a few risks along the way. If you don't try, you never make mistakes but you also never learn or achieve anything..
Yes, I had one of those recently. It was a drag, but also a learning experience. People like that won’t care how many citations you use if they aren’t “the right” (in their worldview) citations. Heck, people like that might even say a person doesn’t have “the right ph.d” or whatever credential they think matters. It reminds me of the history of religion, when only the religious class was allowed to read the Bible.
Totally agree with what you said: it doesn’t take a huge effort to study and grow yourself.
And I'd say, there's no reason you can't speak on it. In fact by speaking you put thoughts to words and that's how I've learned the most and become a bit of an expert on topics I had no formal training. Deciding to speak often is the best way to develop the credentials to speak.
One of my favorite quotes is "The last step of learning is teaching." So when I've learned, I try to share that lesson with others then move on to my next lesson.
I hadn't heard that. I have heard it said in medicine that first you see one, then you do one, then you teach one. Felt like not quite enough for me (given they work on living human bodies). I like yours better!
I am growing into this realization and gaining more confidence. I've had a largely made-up self-taught career which leads to frequent Imposter Syndrome moments. But more and more I'm experiencing "Hey, I actually know some shit," moments, which is a great feeling.
I almost let that "bad faith reader" show up when I was writing my latest post. Thankfully, I didn't. It's not a post for everyone, but there are people out there who needed it. Glad I pushed through and published.
This is so uncanny, and I'm happy to have words put to this phenomenon -- I've drafted dozens of essays that are low-key in response to critics or critical voices, and I can never seem to finish them. I think my sub conscience knows it's attempting to write to the wrong audience. I appreciate being able to name this and bring more awareness to my writing practice.
I've had a similar experience. It's like I'm processing my emotions as I write them. But I don't realise it's more of a private journal entry than a sharable bit of writing.
I have also been working really hard to not respond to the critics that live in my brain. Sometimes I type out the whole thought, the "who cares and why should you be talking about this" and then I edit it out and tell myself, to say what I mean and make interesting! It helps me to just say it. I picture one or two people who I know truly like what I write and then I carry on. But then edit, edit, edit!!
the best example of this, in my opinion, is Heather Cox Richardson with Letter from an American. She scrupulously lists at the end of each (daily!) post her sources. It makes everything she says just that much more credible. And honors her sources too.
Such great advice, Mike. I think the beauty of a subscriber base is that I begin to think of them as friends who have accepted my invitation, and here they are! The few who creep in to criticize don't last long. I either block them, because I don't want them in my parlor, or they get bored and leave on their own.
I lose subscribers now and then, when I write something controversial, but that's okay. I wouldn't expect everyone to hang around for every conversation, anyway.
Thanks, Mike, for this. I'll admit I sometimes let that bad faith reader in and it can influence me. I write a about potentially upsetting subjects so I am always trying to walk the line of informative content, my own personal view, while not upsetting anyone - haha, I just saw that and I see why it can make me feel overwhelmed at times!
Excellent! I'm copying this for a constant reminder. I've moved away from providing quotes to paraphrasing and crediting the source with a name and link.
😂. Recently LOLed when I learned about the platform Swapstack, which is essentially a platform for Substacks to advertise in other Substacks. Fodder for your next rhyme...
I think there have been conversations on here recently about how negative "No thanks" sounds, and what people really want to do is read some of what a writer has to say before they subscribe. I believe that's the rationale for the change, which seems pretty sound to me.
Exciting to see Substack continue to poke at the fiction and book communities. It's already hugely active, of course, but there's so much more potential there. As a writing-focused platform, Substack is the perfect venue for fiction writers. I'm using it to write and serialise my new stories, which I'll then collect into an anthology as an ebook and paperback. Having the support of readers and paid subscribers is incredible.
I have encountered an active and hugely supportive bunch of fellow writers here in a year and a half. Far more than I have in the previous decade+ on social media. Thanks, Substack!
I have definitely encountered so many more supportive writers on Substack than anywhere else on the internet in a long time, probably since the fall of Tumblr! So grateful to have found this space.
I'm a personal essay/ poetry writer but I've been going round and round about starting to tell my stories through fiction instead. I've never been a big plot writer, though! How do you feel about having an essayist suddenly throw in a piece of fiction on the same subject. Would that be fun engaging? Maybe a could crowd source ideas for a plot to tie my smaller stories and moments together!
Simon, I wanted to ask you about Fictionistas. I tried to contact your group, but the Contact button doesn't work. I won't go into it on this thread, but I wanted to ask if the group would be interested in letting your readers know about my Substack, Serialize, where I help writers serialize their novels or memoirs: www.serialize.substack.com. You can contact me here: mssarahfay1516@gmail.com. Thanks, and sorry to all for disrupting the thread!
Will do! Thanks. As a serializer yourself, you might like to read posts where we delve into the literary history of serialization. On Tuesday, we’ll be looking at the difference between chapters and installments/episodes using the 1939 serialization of Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None as a model. (In addition to an M.F.A. in creative writing, I have a PhD in English and geek out on literary archives.) We’ll look at the serialization of Joyce’s Ulysses too!
I have no question to ask, post to plug or opinion to proffer other than to say that Substack is great and I’m glad that it exists as both a writer and a reader...
Same, Thomas. It really is such a special place online these days. I've completely burned out on regular social media. It's so nice to read depth of thought from so many different voices. So fun and refreshing! I love it!
I keep thinking this too! Not many people in my world know of Substack. I started writing n it the same month that I found out it existed! Which was only November last year!
Hello Substack community! I have been writing on here fairly consistently for about 1.5 years and I've done all the things I frequently see here about how to grow subscriber count including reaching out to other writers about collabs *crickets*, commenting on other people's writing, trying The Sample and none of it seems to work. Luckily I just enjoy writing and my audience is small but super engaged so it's nice to hear some feedback but Idk it's really tough and it seems like substack could do more to promote UNKNOWN writers as the writers I always see promoted have large followings on other platforms or are already famous from something else they do. For now I'm just gonna keep showing up but it would be nice if something worked one day.
That seems to be the publishing model in general. To promote people who are already successful for the most part. It’s hard to break through. It would be lovely if substack would promote some of the newer or smaller accounts too. There’s some great work out there.
I'm actually relieved to hear people on this office hours saying this out loud. Because Substack mostly promotes the "I've grown to a billion subscribers in just three months!" type of testimonials. My Substack (called Be Your Own Hero, about being brave in small moments https://louisejulig.substack.com) has a little over 200 subscribers and I've been posting about every 5 weeks for two years. What has helped me the most is after every post I think of five people I know who might be interested in that particular post and I personally invite them to subscribe. Oh and all my subscriptions are free at this point. I have gotten some sign-ups from a few Substacks that recommend me (and I recommend them as well) but I'm kind of picky about how many I recommend, so I don't have that many who also do in return. I also post my links to Instagram and Facebook, which nets me a few subscribers each time. Really, I don't know any magic trick. Wish I did!
I agree. I've been here for about 4 months now and I find it comes in spurts. There will be a week where a few new subscribers come on board and then nothing for a week. It's how it goes. The only thing we have control over is our own outputs and consistency and showing up for the people who have subscribed and are reading and engaging with the work.
Are you part of any writer communities? I think it might be helpful to shake things up if they are feeling stale.
If you’d like, you can join The Editor’s Galley where I share about my work as a developmental editor (someone who works on manuscripts and refining writing concepts) and I host AMAs where folks can ask questions and get specific feedback on their writing / editing / publishing.
Hello fellow writers. Hope you are well today, and I'd to share some thoughts.
Lots of people say you should stay the course, that is: keep at it. Good advice, but “keep at it” doesn’t mean a schedule dictated by what others say is best. Find your own rhythm, whatever it may be. Straight time, odd time, jazz, Afro-Cuban. Hell, even disco. Up to you.
Stay true to yourself. In an environment of metrics and number chasing, it’s important to remember that numbers are a game that you aren’t obliged to play. Substack encourages it, but I say write because it’s something you must do, not for the scoreboard of external fabricated validation. I also advocate:
Write as artistic expression, not to satisfy a perceived demand.
Don’t publish only safe and acceptable pieces. Take risks.
Subscribe / recommend / etc. from true enjoyment and interest, not in hope of reciprocity.
Ignore stats. Delete the next-day stats email without opening.
Personally, I remind myself that I can control my work / schedule but that I can’t control the reaction of others. Exterior reactions / decisions are out of my hands.
If any of this resonates, great. If not, that's fine too. My main wish is that people chart their own waters. That’s where we find true satisfaction and beauty.
This has been such a great experience for me that I really can't believe it some days. I have found that my subscriber list keeps growing, slow but steady, and to me that is just fine. But it is the outlet of having this space to share my thoughts on what I read and how it relates to our world that is just simply priceless.
My growth has been stagnant, but I'm hoping to use the book to help both things grow. We'll see. Sometimes it's hard to be hopeful for my writing dreams, but reading Big Magic certainly helped me put my creative dreams into a reasonable perspective.
I absolutely love that book! I have only had a trickle of new subscribers but I did start with a pretty big list. Part of my reason for switching from Mailchimp to Substack was to grow my audience and hope that people who are interested in Dreams and writing will find me.
But yes, Elizabeth Gilbert is a great inspiration.
I think what hit me (at the age of 43 with a teaching career and family and big dreams) was this idea that I should create because I NEED to create for me, not for my primary income. The fact that she truly believes that, had it not been for Eat Pray Love, she would still be working a second job. Would I love for my self-published book to hit it big? YES!!! But I can't pin my hopes and dreams and financial security to it. I published the book because I wanted my kids to have a written piece of their history. I'm working on my next book for the same reason. I want to make money, but the amount of money is a bonus to having a written record to pass along.
I agree. I think I was hoping I could make some kind of income from my writing - though I found out early on from courses, videos, and the such, that it's very hard to make money off one's first book. It's usual 3rd or 4th - and then the backlist sells. I didn't want to believe it but.... Also, my book has just come out and I'm just getting into a groove with marketing - I can say my outlay far exceed royalties right now. But I'm learning tons. I'm 61 and was fighting ageism in the workplace -- another reason I went full time writing. No one would hire me! Even during covid, I read that women over 50 or so aren't getting hired - even with all the job openings. I won't ever retire, but I never understood how bad ageism was. I was hoping writing would get around it. Well - let's see where we both are a year from now!....
I hope this doesn't change, but I appreciate that Substack is a writing COMMUNITY. Most of us aren't competing against each other. We're working together to help each other find and keep our audiences. I think I'm going to be more intentional moving forward with cross-posting. That seems to be a good next step, especially since I'm avoiding FB and Twitter has become a shit-show.
If you haven't read it yet, I HIGHLY recommend it. Based on you most recent writing and concerns I think it would really speak to you in this present moment.
Some really good advice here, and things I'm trying to regularly remember. I'm working on taking more risks (but doing so with paid subscriptions) and I'm TRYING to ignore the stats. It's so hard because we've been trained to believe that numbers=validation, but that's not true. Do I want to grow? Yes, but I also want to make sure that I have authentic readers who WANT to read my stuff.
That's a very good point, Sarah. "Authentic readers" is a beautiful way of putting it. We want to grow, and real readers on the journey are the way to go.
Excellent advice. And because I love extended metaphors... disco bassists are amazing musicians so there is nuance and texture to what people think is corny or boilerplate. You know your scene. Dig in.
Dear Substack: new functionality request: Two other writers and I are doing a collaboration piece this Sunday. We all have slightly different paid models and prices and explored ways to bundle subscriptions (e.g., subscribe to all three of us and get XX% off). Unfortunately that functionality isn't available, but we think it could be a strong value add for writers and for Substack.
Would love to see what the team can come up with here. Thanks!
I think everyone goes through this stage. Though I also want to say that a life of comfort and flexibility is not something to scoff your nose at. The startup/writer culture tells us that we must keep pursuing our passion at the cost of going hungry and that’s simply not true.
You can do both. 3 years ago I gave up on trying to grow my catering business and got a boring job in comms. A new business idea found me again and now I’m doing both things slowly.
Slow is just as good as fast :) choose what makes most sense for you right now.
But keep writing whenever you can. The world needs your words
I'm where you are Livio. I won't give up wrting books, but I'm wondering if I can keep my substack going. And I've been lucky to be able to write full time for a couple years, but I've started to think about doing things that get me paid and not sit around hoping a subscriber will join or someone will by my book. So, you are not alone. I hear you.
Well, just to complicate my life, a friend and I are pitching a festival for creatives - very early stages but we're almost done the sponsor deck. I won't do it unless we raise enough to pay ourselves - so we'll see. I can't work in an office anymore (if you read my book or what it's about, you'll understand....) I have an LLC - I wasn't able to get consulting gigs during covid which is what prompted me to go full time with writing (and I had savings). I used to organize events, so I'm going to try again.... I can't do writing gigs because I do too much writing as it is - I think something like a festival would use other parts of my brain....
I give you all my support to survive and thrive, from downtime to revitalization, inspiration, and growth. I recently published a piece about identity and perspective, relating to an early part of my career when I lost my way and needed much support to get back on track. I was emotionally abused and traumatized by the head of a department that left me stunned and discouraged. Perhaps he was one of my best teachers. https://www.inmindwise.com/p/the-power-of-identity-and-perspective
Sometimes taking a step back is worth it. Rest your mind and heart. It can be hard to keep going when things seem pointless. This may be a bad moment, but not a bad choice. Come back when you’re ready.
I'm brand new to podcasting, so I'd love any feedback on the episode, or tips & tricks, suggestions, and things you wish you knew when you started podcasting on Substack. Anything is appreciated!
My second Substack started as primarily a podcast (litthinkpodcast.substack.com) and we added blog posts to our content. Be consistent with posting new episodes but don't feel the pressure to do it EVERY week. Do what works for you and give your listeners something to look forward to :-)
Here's a funny question. Can you talk about that moment when you decided to buy the equipment to go for the podcast. You know? What did that moment feel like and what did you buy?
Terrifying and exciting because I knew I was spending money on something that was probably NOT going to make me money. We still aren't getting paid for our creative work, but we believe in it.
I finally decided to not listen to the "experts" on this when I realized that I listen to FAR too many podcasts and I can't get all of them in during the week.
Oh for sure! This has been my favorite thing about the new analytics on Substack--I can see that most people don't listen the same day I post. They listen 15 days later, or 30 days, or whatever. And I'm the same way. I let posts from a podcast pile up then binge them.
I just launched my podcast at Huskybleu this last week too! This was going to be my exact question, thank you for posting it. The comments about audio quality and editing are definitely appreciated. I got myself a decent microphone that really helps me not sound like I’m in a bowling alley doing a recording!
Does anyone have any tutorial suggestions that really helped them? Thanks in advance for all the great advice!
I have a question about the podcast thing too. What I wanna do is just add audio to some of my posts so I can read a poem out loud. I don’t need a whole podcast set up for that do I? I’m hoping to find a simple easy way to do it.
Congrats on your first podcast episode! I think it sounds great. Both voices sound really clear. I think one thing that could be cool is putting time codes below for when you and your guest talk about specificing things. Like at "10:00: Discussions of guest's personal experiencing working in a unionized Starbucks." (I say this fully knowing that I don't do it and it's a lot of work. But I know people like it!)
I already had a good mic and audio interface but oddly enough, just used voice memos for recording. I was often doing it alone at night or even before work and the interface was easier for me to record over parts I didn’t like and clip the video. I might explore Garage Band when I get some time.
one question for substack team and one question for everyone:
1. This is so minor but might y'all ever be able to make comments collapseable in the app like they are in web? I find that collapsing comments is sorta the key for me to be able to navigate comment threads, without it I get overwhelmed panic and throw my phone out the window.
2. Raffle giveaways -- anyone have experience w them? I have some t-shirts that are dope and some of my readers have been asking about, so I was thinking of doing something like 'anyone who becomes a paid sub in the next week gets entered into a tshirt raffle or something' idk. If anyone knows how to do this plz do let me know thank you
I use Substack on the web from my phone for office hours for exactly this ability to collapse comments! I agree that would be really helpful to have this feature in the app, because I also love my dark mode!
I always find it interesting to talk to someone I haven't heard from in ages and to hear how much they enjoy what I write and how they read it constantly. That's the best thing to keep me going even if it feels like the needle isn't moving that fast.
Part of me just wishes they'd hit that heart button too! :)
Yes Sarah, I have just started using the duplicate feature. Had a system of my own using drafts to coordinate themes and Titles. How have you been using the feature?
Just published my first Substack column on the science, psychology, social context, and practice of embodiment. Would love any suggestions on list growth in these industries. Thanks in advance, and gratitude for the amazing Substack community!
Hi Bo! I'm so glad you're here! In my experience, the wellness/health/mindfulness community here on Substack is thriving. If I were you, I would engage with other writers in the field, here, and maybe even cultivate some collaborations or do some cross-posting. And regardless, stay consistent and keep going! More than anything, I've seen my consistency rewarded. I hope that helps! 🌿
Dionne!!! You were actually a major inspiration for me to be on Substack! At some point, you said how much you loved the platform and offered much magical encouragement. Thank you!
Hi everyone: I'm struggling to get into the Substack networking game. The fact that I'm even calling it a "game" says it all. I'm generally internet-averse (like many writers, perhaps?) and Substack is the first platform I could bring myself to engage with. Even so, I'm struggling. It often feels disingenuous to like and comment when the goal in the back of my mind is getting more subscribers.
At the same time, I genuinely do want to meet other writers and have a community. I see others on Substack building what seem like genuine connections that transcend personal interest, but I am blocked by my own suspicion of all things growth-hack-y.
Anyone else in this boat? How are you dealing with it?
I take a mindful minute before jumping in, and even spend some time out in the quiet of nature beforehand. Then, I only engage with posts and comments I really resonate with. This has been a good strategy for me. Not high volume, by any means, but genuine.
it feels like a dance on the first day of high school where no one knows each other and so everyone is nervous and weird and awkward and most people really wanna make connections but everyone is scared and then there are weirdos who are like SCREAMING about their stuff and they make everyone else wince a lil bit
but in that situation, going up to another kid and saying hi almost never ends badly, especially cuz i think most everyone gives everyone else the benefit of the doubt, even in spite of the kids yelling why are they yelling they need to stop
Yep. Same boat, different oar. Be authentic. Write what you want, engage with others you enjoy, subscribe to pubs you have time to handle and a real interest. Ask yourself if you're about to do a a game move. If yes, resist the impulse. If not, onward to genuine connections.
Yes, there's a game afoot and Substack encourages it, but you're not obliged to participate.
My advice is just always stay genuine. No need to pretend to like writing you don't like. Try following lots of Substackers, don't be afraid to unsubscribe if the writing doesn't resonate with you, and when you encounter writing you love, go all out commending and praising the writer, recommending them, and helping them build up their own subscriber base.
Your tactic seems extremely effective. But don't you think that you should not indiscriminately subscribe to everything, but still approach this more legibly?
Nice comment. I think everybody struggles with this. I do somehow feel better about Substack networking than networking in other forums - in part because everybody's in the same boat here and everybody gets it. Just about everybody is a writer, everybody is a bit shy about networking but knows that it has to be done, and networking here is more genuine than in other venues in life - because you tend to reach out to people whose work you sincerely are interested in/admire.
Totally - we are indeed all in the same boat. And I agree with you that I feel like the Substack version of this networking is a bit of a lesser evil. Shy and sincere writers unite :)
I love Office Hours but when exactly is 'starting time'? Is it 1 PM EST, or is it more than an hour earlier, when more than 100 comments are already on the page? I'm not exactly a stickler for promptness but isn't this a bit of a free-for-all now?
As much as I want to, and as much as I get out of this, I can't possibly keep up when, by 'starting time', there are already hundreds of conversations taking place.
You as well. Thank you for being the first person to give me a chance outside of the world of school. I have been having a ball finding my style as I continue to write.
That's so good to hear! I've just subscribed to your newsletter. If you feel the need for some interaction with a nice, knowledgeable writing community, feel free to join us at Writer Everlasting.
I think 1 pm EST is when the Substack team is in the chat, if you want to try to catch it when they're here. But you can post and come back as soon as the thread goes live.
What are genuine ways to share your newsletter without feeling like you're constantly promoting it? I don't want my followers on other social media to feel overwhelmed or annoyed by constant promotion.
Right now I share a tweet or Instagram story whenever a newsletter goes out twice a week. I fear promoting more would annoys followers but I don't know how else to grow.
Share it on your social platforms every time you publish a new edition of your newsletter. Don't worry about annoying those who follow you on socials, you won't. Content there is driven by algorithm, so only a small percentage of those who follow you will actually see each 'promotion' post you make.
Sites not driven by algorithm, Reddit for example are different, so you don't want to over promote there, but Twitter and Insta, promote with wild abandon on your timeline.
Thanks Cameron, just started with Reddit. Jumped back onto Twitter as well and Mastodon and Post in between. Mastodon sign in tricky through. FB posts disappear ie story boards. Over promotion no such a thing only know it when someone responds good or bad but by that time we just maybe too big to care 😊 I know we are afraid of over tipping our hand or whatever but that's the eggs ya gotta crack
Hi, I don't send all my posts out via email, I just have them on my Substack page under one of the sections such as Blog, Music and then if appropriate I'll link to them from my newsletters. I don't feel that every post I write needs to be sent to someone else's inbox!
Oh that's great! I'm new to substack so I thought that all posts had to be emails since substack is for newsletters. That's good to know though if I ever want to create certain posts that don't need to be newsletters. Thank you!
I struggle with this. Right now I am thinking of doind IG stories/twitter threads about whatever my newsletter's topic is that week with a link to the newsletter at the end
I just started using twitter threads. I think it might be a way to not clog up peoples timelines? Stories are great because they don't last long but sometimes I feel even that clogs up my stories.
Though I've not found abundant opportunities to do so, most folks recommend posting your pieces where the content relates to some other post or conversation. If you write about pizza, you share that post to a thread somewhere else that has to do with creative dinner ideas. Or, something along those lines. I also launched IG and FB pages under my Stack name and am slowly building a following there (operative word: s l o w l y). I also spread out the sharing. Since most of my views come from email, I wait a few days to share as social posts. Later still, I might share as a story or reel, with an "in case you missed it" hashtag. Finally, be bold. Mention your newsletter any chance you get. For me, that's still super awkward, but I'm getting a little better. Hope this helps some.
So, the follow-on question for me, as someone whose Stack isn't uber targeted to a specific topic, is how to find places where content is relevant without having to spend too much time stalking social media platforms. There are some ideas in this thread, which I appreciate.
Welcome to Substack! I’m still figuring this out myself, but in my experience the best way to grow is internally within Substack. Posting your question here is a perfect start! I’m sure you’ll get some subscribers :) Also, connect with other Substack writers. Engage in their comments section with substantive responses. Excited to learn more about your newsletter!!
I've found this to be true. Stackers tend to support other Stackers. An aside, isn't it adorable how we create abbreviated versions of so many names? Here, we're "subbies" or "Stackers." My folks are "Scratchers" or "Scratch Fam." Some day, maybe I'll print up some Guk-Guk t-shirts. Just subscribed, Jillian. I'm a note taker and note leaver, so I look forward to reading.
Yeah Study, it's all about who ya know and time spent 'engaging' I once said that FB was the 'boring following the mondane' and just jumped off. Instagram same gotta spend the time. There are other media platforms to try but gotta find your crowd
Just wanted to come on and say that I am having so much fun working on my newsletter and, just this week, publishing my first ever podcast episodes to go with it. I didn’t know that I would ever find a way to talk about my love of stories and books that didn’t feel like totally shouting into an empty, angry void. Substack has helped empower my confidence and let me have fun just trying the damn thing out and unbelievably, making me think I could make a real go of this.
Thank you for creating such a wonderful place for a community of creative people to be and enjoy. I’m so grateful and excited!!
I just wanted to wish you all a wonderful rest of the week! I know this is how we really connect with each other before commenting is closed so Hiiii!! 💖
I know a lot is going on but together through the community here, sharing our stories connects us and we can get through anything! Thanks for Substack creating this great platform. Rockstars! Yeah we’re all Rockstars! 😁
What are you saying? I do post in portuguese. My complain is about the U.I. Most of the brazilian people does not understand english. So, when they face an U.I. they can´t understand, of course they will not proceed to payment. And even if they do, they will not feel comfortable with settings and everything else.
Hello! I’m curious about ways to promote my substack without social media. I left social media in 2021, for my mental health, and I don’t want to go back. But I also don’t want my substack to languish.
I'm having the same dilemma! I haven't had social media for several years- I think maybe networking within substack and/or areas where whatever you're writing about might come up.
It’s a quandary, isn’t it? I’m just realizing there is a bit of networking available within substack. I’m also considering make posters with something catchy and odd and hanging them around. The old fashion way!
Include a call to action asking your readers to forward this email to a friend. You can even say you don't like social media shares and prefer email forwards. Include a note like 'if this message has been forwarded to you subscribe to my newsletter here". You will do the wording better. Just gear your newsletter to forwards instead of shares.
I definitely think it’s possible to grow without social media. It just takes a different set of muscles. Substack is a helpful tool for growth ( show up at Office Hours and comment on posts regularly ). Otherwise I would focus on meeting people in real life and having as many conversations as you can about your Substack. Look for events and meetups, chat up your barista and your grocery clerk, etc. And carry business cards!
“A different set of muscles.” That’s a good way to think of it! I’m working on in person conversations about my work. For one, I realized I need to not use the term Substack because I think a lot of people don’t know what that is still. But then, as I mentioned to another commenter, I write about a subject that is sadly something which people struggle to talk about: menstrual cycles and fertility awareness. But I think that taboo needs to be smashed. So I really will be living out my mission by chatting up baristas about it! 😄🤞
Ha! I think that’s a good plan! I would have a lot of respect for anyone who was up for a public discussion of fertility issues in the coffee shop. Literally every woman has thoughts on the topic.
Indeed. Women and more people besides. And then there’s also all sorts of people who have a lot of difficulty talking about it, which is really why I’m writing about it.
As an indecisive writer, occasionally I'll change the title of a post after it's been scheduled. Unfortunately, the URL wants to keep the original title, creating a bit of a mismatch between the post and its web address. Is there a way to change the url after scheduling and prior to posting to show the updated title? Thank you for your help!
I have done this and it's very easy and painless. You can edit the post URL in the settings area. It will give you warnings that you're doing something cuh-raaazy but it works and I don't think you even need to take the post down.
Yes, the "cuh-raaazy" warnings may have deterred me the one time I attempted this. 😂 I'll start with an older post that no one is looking for and see if anything blows up. Thank you!
Yes, it’s in settings. When publishing my most recent post, I noticed they added a new SEO title to that section so it should be even easier to find than before.
Eek! Thank you for pointing that out! That is going to be HUGE. (But also cause a lot of work for me as I will feel the need to go through all of my old pieces to work on SEO optimization for the description).
Indeed! But I discovered that the old title still sticks in the url after I reschedule, even when internal changes to the post have gone through seamlessly. It's sneaky. 😊
it was meant to be a peek into how parenting feels for someone with what the doctors call adhd and ocd. Anyways, on Substack everyone was so kind in the comments full of love and genuine good spirit etc.
The essay also made its way to the Internet where it was Shared on a forum that is similar to but not called Reddit. And boy oh boy the comments there!! They really said some mean shit and it caught me by surprise and made me sad and angry. I told my friends about it and they were like "um...dude it sounds like you're describing what its like to write something on the internet."
to which I replied "yea but not on Substack!!"
at which point I realized that Substack is a strange oasis of good humans and kind vibes in a sea of toxic douchmonkeys (respectfully), and for that I am eternally grateful.
Hi, Alex! Ringing is tinnitus, which I think is more associated with hearing damage (I have it too, it's pretty common I think). Misophonia is having a very visceral, overwhelming response to certain sounds that's often accompanied by feelings of fight/flight or rage/disgust. It has a fairly high comorbidity with ADHD. It is quite unpleasant, I must say! I have to always keep ear plugs on me or I'll really struggle out there in the world. Love your newsletter btw!
ooooh yeah sounds like i have both haha and yea several people recommended some nice earplugs called Loops that I bought so i'm excited to give those a shot!
Does anyone have the experience of two completely separate Substacks? I've been contemplating a second one with my fiction, essays, and more. I would want it to be on its own. Thoughts?
Me! Me! 😁 I asked the team before I tried it to be sure I could. I use two web browsers to switch between one account and the other. It’s the only drawback of having two separate accounts. Having two publications within one account felt too complicated and confusing for subscribers.
Hey Katie and Substack! ✌️ Please allow us to “switch accounts” from the app for CHAT and browser to do everything else. It really is necessary to keep us from using different browsers to stay logged in for our accounts but for chat when mobile, two browsers are not a good idea, especially on IOS. Thank you! 🙏 Also begging. LOL
Hi De! If you have more than one account on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter for example, you can “Switch” to activate and work between accounts without logging out and/or logging in. ✌️
I use different emails because they are two separate accounts. That’s why I log into them separately from different browsers and stay logged in. However, if you have two or more publications within one email account, you don’t need two browsers just switch on the back end. That’s my understanding but it can get confusing that way for subscribers and you. Katie hopefully will clarify this. 😎
I have two separate newsletters--Writer Everlasting and Constant Commoner. I was able to use the same email for both, but my other Gmail was so full I created a new gmail account just for my newsletters.
Yes.. go to icon in upper RH corner, and click on the manage subscriptions... check out your options there... or at least, that's how it works from my side :)
Another question: I think in past Office Hours I noticed a TypeForm link for nominating Substacks to be featured on Substack Reads (or similar?) Is that still a thing?
I started my Substack page in June of 2022. I find that a good number of people are clicking on my content and I assume reading it. I think I am getting pretty good open and click rates. But I am only at around 42 free subscribers. I don't want to go paid until I have reached 100. How do I turn those people who will click on my page to read into subscribers? I have tried everything I know to do. I could really use some help.
I've been at Substack for three months. Until a couple of weeks ago, my free subscribers slowly increased to about 100. Then I posted on Facebook a direct appeal for my FB friends to please go check out my Substack blog and see if they wanted to join. I was timid to do this, but 44 new readers subscribed in two days. This amazed me.
My message, in case anyone is interested, included "I've started posting nature notes in a new location... I'd be grateful if you visited it to see if you would like to subscribe. It's free, and you can turn it off any time you want."
Hi all! I write my newsletter https://learningtointerrupt.substack.com/ as a mix of book reviews, notes about writing and publishing, and my personal life — I enjoy reading substacks about a variety of topics, but I wonder how everyone else feels. Would you rather read a more curated newsletter about one specific / niche topic or do you like a splash of the personal / a variety of topics?
I have a few young people in my world who this might be a great opportunity to connect with other illustrators! I'll pass on your information. Someday I hope to publish a few children story ideas that have filled my head for years . . . and will need illustrators!
Just wanted to say thanks for the Audience Insights tab in Stats, absolutely love it (and not just because it turns out I’m read in 103 countries in 47 states, though that certainly helps). More of this sort of thing, please!
Hi everyone! I’ve been itching to finish writing my fourth article, and just haven’t made time for It. I’m SO pleased that I am really feeling so excited for this weekend because I know I’ll have time for it. I’m new to writing for public consumption and I didn’t know how I would feel about it. I loved publishing the first 3 articles and #4 will be published this weekend with fulfillment and joy. I feel grateful to have found Substack ✍🏽 🙏🏽!
Hello everyone, I write Indian food stories and recipes over on my Substack Beyond Butter Chicken (http://Perzen.Substack.com)
I’d love to connect with other food story-tellers. And for the people that enjoy food writing, do you like just skipping to the recipe or is it the story that makes you want to cook/eat the food.
Depends on the writer! Sometimes, I just want the recipe, but the food publications on Substack I follow just for the writing and the *inspiration* about cooking. It’s different than like going to all recipes dot com to find something specific. If you haven’t encountered her, Fine Kettle of Fish is a delight to read.
I’ll definitely go find that one now. That’s an interesting perspective around looking for something specific. It made me realise I’m like that too. I won’t read a food Substack in the kitchen when I’m about to get my hands dirty and have a question, then I need the recipe. But most other times, reading about food is getting an insight into another culture. Thank you for this!
I'm new here! I always miss Office Hours because I have a recurring meeting at the same time, but today it got moved, and wow! It hasn't even officially begun and you're already all here encouraging each other. ❤️ Gonna make sure I start tuning in afterwards from now on for the excellent motivation!
May as well ask a question while I'm here: In addition to the newsletter I currently write, I'll be starting a new podcast here in a few weeks, and I'd like to know how easy you all found it to get it up and running and distributed. Been writing online a while, but never did a podcast before. Thanks!
If you just record straight into Substack it is pretty easy. But you have no ability to edit sound or change things within Substack. You can always choose to record somewhere else and then upload your podcast to the Substack feature.
If your content is scripted out you can do it very easily in Substack. Hope that helps.
Maybe invest in a voice recorder but watch those updates if using Smartmob on phone. I just lost all 13 recordings and one gift recording that gifteelost as well 😕 Have to pay to retrieve as nothing else has worked
Apologies in advance if this is addressed in another comment, but I haven't read through the whole thread. I just don't "get" the private substack idea. Who would use it—in addition to or in lieu of a regular substack we work hard to promo and build readership—and why?
I was lost on its value at first, too. However here’s what I have been able to wiggle out based on my own setup.
As a developmental editor, my paid subscribers have access to monthly AMAa where they can ask me questions about writing, editing or publishing. It’s a big mix, and I think it’s easy to learn from others’ questions. I think the private substack could become a place for intensive developmental editing feedback in a limited group setting. Almost like a stand-alone writing therapy group that has a different structure and purpose and is more interactive than just my objective posts in general topics. We’ll see, though. This is all theory at this point.
A private stack means only subscribers can read the articles. It's not available to the world like a standard stack is. In addition, when someone subscribes to a private stack, they don't gain access immediately. You need to approve the sub request.
As for why, some opt for a private stack for news related to a family or some other group that's fairly small. Personally, it's not for me, and I don't exactly get it either, but I guess it fits what some people are looking for.
There are some people who use it as a way to promote a safe space for sensitive topics and conversations. It is also a way to be compensated for the time and effort that it takes to create resources, do research and write online.
Hey everyone! Hope you're all having a great week :)
I'm fairly new here, but I wanted to see if I could get some insight on a couple of topics:
- Early on with your newsletter, does social media provide a big boost? I'm not a fan of social media -- I've deactivated/reactivated accounts several times -- but with a very limited budget, sometimes it feels like the best way to get started.
- I do feel like cross-promotion would be my preferred route. Do you have any suggestions on where to find those opportunities? And also, how to go about presenting those opportunities? I think I get in my head a little bit about it, because my newsletter is, well, new. It's not like I can point to 1,000+ subscribers as a selling point to someone I'm approaching. I of course want the exchange to be beneficial for both parties... so yeah, it just ends up feeling like I'm A) selling something and B) that I can't deliver on that promise at this time.
Any/all feedback is greatly appreciated! Thank you!
It’s nice to come here and shop for collaborations. I’ve done it and had some success. Some don’t see the point if they can’t reach a big audience but it’s really about support and building relationships. Recommendations came off these relationships and I’ve grown my newsletter off those.
Thanks for your reply, Chevanne, I appreciate it. That's great to hear, that relationships can extend from these Office Hours. I like how you used "shop for collaborations" as well. I think that's a good way to think about it, vs. "selling".
Thanks again, excited to check out your newsletter.
Do you feel there is such a thing as publishing too often? For some subscriptions I get new content three times overnight. I don't mind so much but if I were doing this I would be worried about losing subscribers. What are your thought?
Hi, I don't think I have enough value at the moment to send out a weekly newsletter to my subscribers and so I don't send out all my posts out via email, I just have them on my Substack page under one of the sections such as Blog, Music and then if appropriate I'll link to them from my newsletters. I don't feel that every post I write needs to be sent to someone else's inbox!
I definitely worry about over-saturation. I treat Substack’s features like different content channels that subscribers can opt into. The free version of my work gets a few updates plus a few paid previews each month. I use the chat function as a way paid subscribers can get direct access to me / answers (about editing/their stories, in my case). If someone doesn’t care about the AMAs or connecting with other writers over chat, that’s a dial they can turn all the way off.
If someone feels like they are getting too much they might unsubscribe. But if people find value in your content they will like it.
I think it is better for you to publish in a way that works for you. You don't want to bite off more than you can chew. You are author, you get to set the expectations
Yes, I do think there's such a thing as publishing too often. It's not writing often that's a problem, that's great, but if I were to get 3 posts from the same publication overnight, I wouldn't be able to keep up.
When I'm thinking about subbing to a new pub, I check the archives or the About page to get an idea of how frequently they publish. If it's daily, I can't do it.
Absolutely! I have unsubscribed from many good newsletters just because they publish too often. I personally cannot stand it. The newsletters I actually read are those that comes once per two weeks or a month or even less often.
How do I discover writers who are similar like myself who just started and writes similar content? It feels like I only see the very popular ones. I also want to ask how to promote my blog when I don't have a big following on social media? Also, this is the first time I've engaged in commenting. If you'd like to read something from a 23 yo in nyc that likes fun, fashion, and SATC ... check out thekarliediaries.substack.com :*
It definitely seems to take time! I do wish it were a little easier to navigate around the site. I'm on Substack a lot and I often come across people where it feels like I should have encountered them long before. Recommendations are a useful way to find 'your tribe.'
Agreed it’s not easy, but the more I follow, the better it gets. I think even very popular accounts (and people with large twitter and IG accounts) even struggle with engagement.
You can also come here and ask around. I read Broke But Moisturized. Dia is a great writer and discusses her writing journey but also marathon training and indulging in pleasures while critiquing materialism, among other topics.
Hey Substack, the analytics updates have been quicker lately -- thank you!!! I have an additional request: Can you add a tab on the analytics page for each post that shows a simple chronological list of opens/reads, with the most recent open/read at the top? That way we can quickly see who the most recent reader was since the last time we looked, without having to look at each reader. It would be extremely helpful and save a lot of time. I'm sure it would be easy to add. Thank you for considering it!!!
I just started a newsletter called Wikipedia Daily, where I send a daily interesting Wikipedia article to the readers. I launched it today. What do you recommend I do to grow my subscriber count, from pretty much 0? I have 2 subscribers right now.
I’d say the best way is to tell friends, colleagues, or family members that you started a substack. Then if you want to grow further try sharing you articles on Twitter, or even on the Substack Writers Facebook and Discord Groups.
Currently I’m focusing on commenting on similar Substacks. A few months ago, On Substack posted an interview with a reporter and it was very informative. I forget her name, I think it was published in December. She talked about how she gets readers invested in very factual stories.
Slow is smooth and smooth is fast. Also, don't just share something......share something and why you find it interesting and what you learned that you didn't know. Make it personal. Because I can get a randon article from Wiki directly already.
Yes, that’s how it’s structured. Obviously I’m aware Wikipedia is free; it is about my personal summary, and discussion around the article that makes it unique.
Daily newsletters are a nightmare! Motivational quotes daily. Bible verses daily. Soon nobody is paying any attention. My advise is find a different topic.
A week or two ago I asked here about repurposing my Substack pieces as an op-ed in a newspaper. Under my urgentopeds.com banner, I write op-eds for opinion leaders in major publications, but I also publish more satirical work under my own name. I disclosed to the editor that a version of this had appeared on Substack, but he didn't seem to mind. I suspect not every editor will feel the same. Here's what appeared in the Berkshire Eagle:
I've been writing Mostly Python. It's a mix of technical posts about the language, some pieces about how to think about using Python in real-world projects, and current happenings in the Python world.
What do you like about Substack as a technical writer? Is there anything you wish Substack would do differently, to better support technical writing?
Not a technical newsletter but my newsletter (https://nealungerleider.substack.com) is aimed mainly at a trade/B2B audience. My favorite things about Substack are the ease of publishing and network effects for growth but I do think it's a challenge reaching industry/professional channels to get word out about newsletters at time.
Well put, Neal. My focus is on professionals using strategy in their work and outreach to them can be very expensive. Taking a lot of time and ingenuity...
Hello. Newbie here. Looking for any suggestions on growing readerships. Not too concerned about paid subscriptions yet - just want to get more people reading. I post three times per week and push out to Twitter and LinkedIn for my social media advertising.
Hi all. It's not long now until I hit the first anniversary of my Substack and a considerable number of my annual subscribers will be considering whether to renew. Would love to know how other 'stackers have handled this. Is there a way of offering re-subscribers a discount or have you created more exclusive content for them? Would be really helpful if you'd share your experience of this
That’s a good question. Not sure if it’s in settings. I was fortunate to have someone renew at the same rate, though while I feel valued, I am committing to more paid content.
Who's new here? Say hello and let us know what's top of mind today.
How can I keep consistency in days I do not feel like writing! :)
And how to avoid giving up 😱
https://livmkk.substack.com/p/on-giving-up
Be at peace with the fact that you can’t give 100% every day, and go live your life so that there’s something to write about.
Declare those days as non-writing writing days: read, research or rest. All good
You are for the most part a good writer and thinker, but I cannot help but deplore your comment that it is "all good."
About ten to twenty years ago, I started to hear a bevy of burghers state that "it's all good,."
People who think it is all good have led charmed, protected and pampered lives. They think it is all good becasue they have never had to sing the blues. They know not a wit about serious physical illnesses, unjust criminal prosecutions, evictions, poverty, rejection and disparagement.
Go tell the people slaughted in the earthquake in Turkey that it is all good.
The assertion that it is "all good" is the vestigial remains of Thomas Aquinas' natural law theory,. Aquinas said:
God is good. God made the world. Therefore the world is good.
Yeah, Right. Typhoid fever and diptheria are good. As Freud said, If I ever met God on his majestic throne I would present him with a child's cancerous bone and ask, "How do you justify this."
David, I take your points to heart. I suspect the intent with "it's all good" to try to find the meaning or higher purpose (what say you, #Livio?) but I do understand. I am a trauma survivor and write about really hard things and how to get through them, so a comment like that, if taken literally, can grate. It's NOT all good. But we do have to find something to come out of it, otherwise there is only despair. While I am no Freud, I am a mental health professional and the things I've heard recently in sessions would make anyone see it's not "all good." And I would indeed hand the violence in the world to God if I had the opportunity. And the child's cancer bone.
In this case, the context was light-hearted and about writing. It seems a bit unfair to chastise someone for using a phrase that, in another context, might office the miserable and afflicted.
That wasn't the case here.
Or, Terry may have just been saying that the options he listed could all be a good use of your time when lacking enthusiasm to start writing.
Good and bad are just a duality; sometimes, embracing the larger perspective helps find meaning and purpose. We all have good and bad writing days when the juices flow or not. I always appreciate your writing, original thoughts, and perspective. I referred to one of your superb recent articles in my latest post, https://www.inmindwise.com/p/the-power-of-identity-and-perspective
I looked forward to reading your article.
Transcending duality comes effortless when I am one In being. Thanks Ron, I’m going to support your stack. Martin
Then again, all the horror gave us 'Candide.'
#OTOH
Excellent. Acquinas, yes. Freud put that where it belongs. You explained 'it's all good' as the bs it is.
You conveyed the mood of the thought well, David!
If I assess a day as "one of those days," I'll wrack my brain for titles and ideas for future pieces! Another great idea, Terry!
Well, yes. I suggested to Rebecca Holden, when she couldn't think of anything to write about, to write about not being able to think of anything to write about. It's very meta, to use a modernist or maybe a post-modernist term designed to convince people that I'm a big-ass literary critic kind of guy, but it works!
In the 80s I had a creative artist friend of mine who said, "I've never known someone to write so much about how much you can't write!"
Yes! I find that I have to build time for solitude, play, adventure, and reading or my output is null!
Do you think a meetup for everyone who craves solitude would work? Or is there a flaw in that model? 🤔
That was probably a joke, but actually, as someone who needs solitude but also loves connecting with people, I actually love writing with people (even on zoom). As long as there are 'no talking' and 'talking' times built in, it's a formula for balaned awesomeness!
Yes. I do love to do my own things (eg reading) inside a (not too busy) coffee shop! :) So, yes, maybe the models is not flawed.
i feel you answered that perfectly, Medha.
I hate the very idea, except in the context of a writing course!
I also thought it was a joke. 😅
It takes me an hour to get through a 10 minute Yoga routine, because I am constantly standing up to use the laptop on a bookshelf and record thoughts I am having. Music helps with that, whether the lyrics of the song or suddenly reminding me of a particular era in my life.
Hey, Pete! Good to "see" you here!
Thanks, Holly! Good to "see" I'm still remembered! I have been more of a "lurker" after that stroke/heart attack/pacemaker implant/severe respiratory infection just as a monster blizzard hit. But...we are now out of winter's tunnel and into 10-plus hours of daylight calm days and an early February thaw has me dragging my old bones out for increasingly longer walks.
And...it has been good to see you all over the place, encouraging others, a valuable contribution to the platform.
After a rare windy day, the atmosphere seems to be catching its breath as the sun goes down, so I better copy this, close and open again, becasue I have been offline for about five hours.
It's great that you realized this.
......and, cross-post in the interim.
Yes. And repost older ones, perhaps with a different slant
This is one of my favorite things to do. Repost and sometimes revise older pieces that still say what I want them to say. They deserve a whole new audience and now they'll get it!
yes. yes. yes.
the half life of the internet is about 0.33 seconds, chances are there is a good deal of your audience who has never seen a piece of writing (new people, people who missed the first post, people who skimmed it). Especially if you add or revise, you can get a whole lot of mileage out of past writing.
Sometimes I'll just take a line or paragraph from an older piece and use it as a prompt to access new writing.
100%
Yes!
Especially if you have expanded your subscriber list.
Lots of times reposting lets you gather the thoughts that you had after "pushing the button" -- second thoughts, elaborations, contradictions, new developments. And you might just end up having a totally different idea in the process.
i frequently am prompted to make changes, then re-post
Yes! A second chance. Brilliant!
Exactly, Mark!
Yes to this--a re-visit/conversation.
Greetings, Alison!
Another good idea, Terry! Be careful of the slant, though.....I tend to get nauseous when reading on an angle!
try reading on a chair, dude...
😂
What do you mean? Copy/paste, then edit? Interesting!
Yes, or a post called On this day... and write an intro for, and a link to, an article you wrote on today's date last year or whatever
Good opportunity to admit old mistakes, which only enhances the credibility of someone who follows the advice I got when I told my Uncle Bill, "I hate to be wrong!" He said, "Just admit you were wrong and you will be right!"
Ha. You're the second person who's shared sage advice from a wise uncle! I love that quote from Uncle Bill!
Wow. Well said, Uncle Billy! 👍
Do you change them, when you post them again? Or simply "cross-post" the old ones?
Depends. Sometimes I will amend them if a new link has come across my radar, or whatever the expression is.
Would be cool to be able to post them again, as I do in case of cross-posts. Indeed, when I published some of them my audience was quite small still...
But I am not sure how to technically achieve that result.
Sometimes I just repost, but if it's something from years ago I might have to add a clarifying paragraph about the timeline.
You mean cross-posting in case I won't be able to write my own articles?
Wouldn't you be worried to divert your audience away from you?
I think the cross-posting of great articles show you to be a person worth following
I agree. But just because you cross-post someone's writing doesn't mean they're going to follow you back.
You obviously haven't read my writing. I'm far more confident in what I do, and how I do it to be wasting time and energy hand-wringing and teeth-gnashing about THAT! But, that's just me.....apparently. And, what Terry said!☝
I'm confident in my writing. I've only been here for 8 months and only have 100 subscribers, but I feel if the writing's good, people will come.
I'm confident in your writing too, Brad -- and in my own. Look out for my new newsletter, narcissistsunite.substack.com
And, sarcasm apart, I think it is a great suggestion! I'll give it a try with some articles that can be relevant for my audience. Possibly from the authors I recommend.
Sorry. I guess I haven't been a good student ;)
I suppose anytime you give an external link you run the risk of "losing" readers, even for a time, to that other website. But crossposts are great when you really love an article and it totally adds to what you're doing.
I went to your page, looked at it and thought, I need to get into that later, so signed up.
That is a good thought and reminder for me that puts into many links onsite and offsite.
not at all, Livio 😊 i just cross-posted an article for the first time, that i think will inspire my readers. Important thing is that it is relevant to what you're writing about, or parallel, at least.
I have a story about that. I wrote an article about how Israel is not becoming a fascist state despite what his holiness Tom Friedman says. Another writer wrote a more eloquent piece, and ended saying that he fears where we are heading, though it definitely is not in the direction of fascism. What can I say? If I had read his article first I would not have written mine, I think, but in order to provide my readers a wider view of the subject and yes, to introduce them to a good writer, I cross-posted his article. Ladies and gentlemen, the results (as of today):
My original post: https://ehudneor.substack.com/p/a-yarmulke-on-both-your-houses
302 total views
The cross post (P. David Hornik) https://godofthedesert.substack.com/p/israel-the-sturdy-ship-of-the-jewish
1,711 total views
Terry Freedman--Have I prompted the universe enough? :)
That's not for me to say 🙂
Great idea! Interacting with another writer can tap into a whole new stream of consciousness.
Maybe I could write about that :D
Well said. Sometimes we spend so much time on the end, that we forget that we need to get there first.
Since I am a recent amputee I am by definition, less than 100%
Well....looks like you'll need a hand, then, to fully arm yourself to get a leg up on the competition. But, it can all start toe-day!
Everyone else has a leg up on me in terms of competition. But I am very good at hopping in a circle.
Well, as they say in sheep-farming..............."Ewe do ewe."
😮😱😃
OMG 😮😱
i love that, Kerry.
I fully agree with you.
Don't worry about consistency. One of the best insights I heard was on a podcast (I'll try to find it) where an author blasted the idea of 'write XXX amount of time per day'. She was like....I'm a binge writer. She'd lock herself in a room for 3 days and write a book, and then do nothing for months. Some people work well with consistency.
I don't. I have dozens of drafts floating in my dashboard and as I come across new info I'll go and toss that into a draft, make a new draft, or whicehver. Suddenly one will tip and I'll sit down and binge edit and write. Then I might sit back and not use it that week and shift to something else. I'm not consistent at all except for posting one essay a week. I just don't know half the time which one it will be until a day or so before.
I'm a lot like this and this is such a relief to read. I had made myself feel guilty many times for not having a writing consistency through the years, which made me feel even more blocked. But you're so right...thank you for this!
I feel a kindred spirit in you.😅
Thank you 🙏🏼😌
And build up a buffer of stories so you don’t have to write every day.
I agree with this. I have 7 stories already to go. i just need to fine tune them. So each week, I've got the work already prepared.
We are waiting for your publications.
👍
I'm the same way! There's a time to write and a time to... collect ideas in your mind while you're living. Which really is, in a way, writing, anyway.
agree completely, Alicia. I call these my non-writing writing days. I read somewhere that it's impossible for writers to ever truly go on holiday, because everything is potentially grist to the mill
Isn't the definition of living "collecting ideas." Even if I am writing, I am still collecting ideas even if I am only recycling my own ideas.
I do this too, I have a file full of drafts and half-drafts and sometimes I sit down to polish one into the weekly newsletter and end up writing something else instead! Whatever feels right and is working best for that week.
ahh how i'd love to have the luxury of being able to lock myself away for 3 days and just write...
I write in a similar way. For three months, I’ll write every morning, for 3-5 hours, and a couple more at night. Then I freeze up for six months.
Six months—don't you think that's a long time?
Thank you. Really appreciate this perspective and permission!
I am writing for 1 hour a day. But I have lost momentum and now I am not very happy about the topics I can bring up! They are not very heart felt.
Take a pause and refill your inspiration. Sometimes the best thing you can do for your writing is take a break.
Refilling inspiration....
You do need to refill your creative tank. But I think that is different than inspiration. I find inspiration usually follows the perspiration. If you wait to write until you are inspired to write, you will wait a long time.
On the contrary, you can amplify your inspiration so that it’s a daily habit and I never said wait until you’re inspired to write. That’s only for amateurs.
Indeed, a break is very important at work. I prefer to work for 2–3 hours and then take a break.
it sounds like writers' burnout, Livio. What if you posted every 10 days or every 2 weeks for a while, instead of once a week? Just as a test.
I would need to allow myself to do that :) The cross-posting idea was also a good suggestion.
I am honestly afraid to lose the habit, in a moment in which quite some other things are changing for me...
Growing up I read quite a bit. I hadn't written anything in years. I wrote my first post here and several people told me that the writing was strong. I am not a writer like many of you here but my point is I don't think you'll lose the habit. I believe these things are ingrained, it all comes back when you restart.
...something that always gets me going is to watch a bio on a writer... Didion, Bellows, Morrison, Ephron. There are so many to choose from. Even on YouTube. Constant inspiration is EVERYWHERE.
Don't worry about having ideas that are not very heartfelt.
If your commitmennt to your ideas are not intense, you will be more adept at modifying them to curry favor with your audience.
In our vulgar, superficial, catty and crabby capitalistic world, people with strong passion,s and loves are burned the most. The snide, sarcastic sons of bitches who really don't give a damn about anything or anyone rise to the top .
And, with all due respect, writing one hour a day ain't that much. However, It is perhaps indicative of being somewhat diligent in the case of 16 year olds who like Beyonce or Justin Bieber
What do you mean? Publishing even ideas that are not heartfelt?
I find challenging to write on topics which are not alive for me in that moment.
I so get that. I was involved in a traumatic accident at work and couldn't write a thing until last October. I was posting old stuff and avoiding actual writing. I finally signed up for the NaNoWriMo Challenge and got active again. But I'm notoriously lazy. Creative...but lazy.
I posted a query about writing and consistency a few minutes ago. It vanished into the ether. I am posting it again.
Many social media mavens and experts in the egocentric field of self-promotion counsel “writers” to be consistent and to endeavor to make all of one’s posts sort of echo one another and cohere together into a recognizable BRAND.
To me such “consistency” is not only a bore but also the mark of a closed mind. Anyone who utters the same BS for a long period of time is walling off his mind from new ideas which may challenge his straight-jacketed mode of thought.
MY PROBLEM, CONCRETELY: Sometimes I am as red and radical as Bolshevik Russian Borscht. Sometimes I sound like a slightly more erudite version of Archie Bunker. I call ‘em as I see ‘em. I do not adhere to dogmas of the left or the right.
Consequently, I am universally despised. Liberals hate me because occasionally I am conservative. Conservatives hate me because sometimes I sound like a Stalinist.
How does someone whose mind is a motley menagerie of seemingly contradictory ideas gain a following.
This is why I embrace the polymathic mindest. The key is to tone down the rough edges and to leave and let lay much of the time. As a Libertarian I can understand your dichotomy. But then again, I also realize it's rarely binary just like quantum physics.
https://polymathicbeing.substack.com/p/quantum-superposition-and-politics
The good news is, hated people get followed as well.
Do you have en example of these contradictory ideas?
I can't give you the answer because I am seeking a following as well. I know I am not great at self promotion, however most of my posts do have a theme.
One answer is to create a brand around one substack, and if you have a theme to other thoughts, you can place that into another substack.
You can also do some A/B testing. Maybe create one big substack, but view your different interests in terms of "bits" or "segments."
At least that are some of my thoughts.
Thanks for your thoughts.
You refer to A/B testing. What is that.
As for my seemingly contradictory ideas, I welcome you to examine my newletter
A/B testing is when you try one thing, and then you try something else, and see which resonates more with your audience. Reminds me of Kevin Kostner in the movie "Tin Cup when Renee Russo says at one point that at times she finds him charming so he says "Well then, could you give me a clue what those moments are so that I can replicate them."
I don't do this enough, the A/B testing, and I certainly am not thinking about a strategy behind it.
I do see that you have already separated your substack into Politics/Non Politics.
You made me laugh.
Thanks, there are many more funny remarks on my substack newsletter. I 'll read yours if you read mine
I subscribed immediately after I read your comment and perused your posts’ headlines. I look forward to reading then.
In fact, there is no need to worry about this. Everyone has their own approach, you are right.
As for tending to your subbies, cross-posting is a good idea! I've made that suggestion to a few fellow writers, especially if their lone output are posts where they do little more than whine about how badly they feel!
Feel bad all you want, I guess, and even inform your subbies of your "blah-ness," but a more worthwhile endeavor might be to pass along some slightly more substantive content....and, it's OK to shout out the quality content of another 'Stacker!
As for "keeping consistency" in YOUR writing, my go-to is coffee! But, the cross-post...it's not just for breakfast anymore! Good luck!
Bug believer in coffee (therefore the name, The Caffeinated Writer:)
Although today I'm at a coffee shop having Matcha
That works too!
👍
I’m a little torn on cross posting. I worry I’m simply spamming my subscribers.
I also steer away from too much self indulgence and focus on actions for my readers. I feel I need to give them something you take away and make their life better.
Good point. I think one might use that option quite judiciously, but perhaps should still be considered occasionally.
I think you'd only be "spamming" your subscribers if you cross-posted indiscriminately. Ex: Writing about music, I'd love to do a commemorative post on the late Burt Bacharach. As he died "without warning," I was having trouble finding the time to actually get to it.
Lo and behold, a fellow music writer has put together a wonderful tribute. I'll be cross-posting that within the week. Knowing my reader base, I know they'll appreciate it. I consider that "an action for my readers," and nothing in the "self-indulgence" ballpark.
Whether the cross-post will "make their life better," is likely unknowable, at least to me (a measurable analytic I'm hoping 'Stack can conjure up at some point)!
Yeah, that’s a good way of thinking about it.
I think people are way overthinking (and missing the point of cross-posting)----not you...I'm putting this on the thread, 'cause I just thought of it: Some people have the notion that cross-posting is akin to copyright infringement/stealing...."oooh, I'd be really careful about cross-posting."
If I cross-post, say, one of YOUR articles, all it is (again, this message is for others on here....not you, Martin!) is like you, all of a sudden, adding my 250 (stop giggling) subscribers to your subscriber list! That's all it is....for those who were screaming about theft or copyright infringement elsewhere here. Anyway, thanks, Martin, for the space to document that on this thread! I couldn't believe (Thursday) all the pointless hand-wringing about cross-posting that was going on!!! Cheers!😁✏
I also believe that my posts improve the lives of my followers.
My go-to is either jasmine tea or a good cup of hot chocolate (the real kind) :)
Hi Birgitte! I need to switch over to a cup o' tea every now and then....I always seem to lean on the coffee at my usual Panera haunt!!☕
never heard of Panera
Panera Bread, in full. A national (US) chain. Sandwiches, flatbread pizzas, baked goods, salads....I spend 12-15 hours at them on a regular basis! That alone should explain the coffee consumption! And, the several Panera employees at 4 different Austin locations who subscribe to FR&B can attest to my insistent sales pitch! "ABC" (always be closing, as my brother used to say)!
Hello Brad :) Too bad we can't have a real tea in person. You know my fave at Panera are their cookie muffins, think they have their own name for them...
I hear ya, Birgitte!! That'd be cool! Yes, I just walked by the pastry case (all the baked prisoners were mocking me mercilessly as I trundled by), and it's the Chocolate Chip Muffie. I think I went out with her in high school. Lovely gal. Cheers!
Every now and then? Well, I suppose I'm the same, if by every now and then you mean hourly
jasmine tea? yeucch. Well, it's ok-ish I suppose. Personally I like tea that will kick-start me when I'm flagging. Hot chocolate: I like it, but am not allowed to have it. <sigh>
I just wish I could figure out how to get more people to cross-post my stuff! I would gladly work with a group of people for cross-posting my favorite material from them.
Well, I would only want someone to cross-post me if they truly dug the content! I'm already "gratuitously" subscribed to too many 'letters....I wouldn't want a slew of people cross-posting because they, somehow, thought they had to (or tit-for-tat something just because I cross-posted one of theirs)!
There's a couple people here today whom I surprised with links......I wrote about someone I remember reading about in one of THEIR articles...it would never occur to me to NOT link to a fellow writer about a similar topic/person if I can remember recently reading their piece.....I'd link to one of MY articles......if I'm aware of a related post on 'Stack (short of doing an exhaustive search, of course), I'll link to theirs as readily as I'd link to one of mine!
Interesting, Brad. I hadn't thought of this. I am relatively new to Substack - just under 4 months - and so my task has been creating consistent informative pieces on healing that are researched. While I've met other 'Stackers, I haven't had an a-ha about cross-posting. Thanks
Somewhere on 'Stack, you can find their original "press-release" where they tell us all about it. Maybe someone here can provide a link to hear it from their mouths! But, I've explained it on a couple of replies here on this thread! Good luck, Faith!!
Totally agree. This is what I've appreciated over the last year, developing an audience of genuine readers and finding communities here. I want to share the work of those who relate to me and make actual connections. But as I try to step away from traditional social media, I'm beginning to think that this might be where I need to start putting a little of my energy.
Actually I like your stuff. I grew up in Vancouver at the same time you were growing up. I used to work with someone (T. Johnson), whose brother was in LOVERBOY. He brought in the demo for their second album. We all went out to the parking lot at lunch, smoked a couple of fatties, and listened to it. Brian Adams played at the bar/hotel she worked the front desk at. Love music!
Cool story, Ben......and, thanks for subscribing!! Please (if you haven't already) feel free to peruse the archived pieces (the Legacy Articles, as I'm prone to say....I even say it when I'm NOT lying down)! Your colleague's brother must've been Doug Johnson, then.
Thanks again for joining us behind the velvet rope line, Front Row & Backstage, Ben!
Write good stuff, and someone will cross-post it. I think it's a good idea and I think I will do it more. It may actually give me the veneer of looking smarter than I actually am.
I'm just realizing that it's an authentic networking tool that I haven't been using. I need to make a habit of doing it a few times a week when I read a piece that is really thought provoking.
There are a lot of great think pieces out there. And certainly, if nothing else, could provide a source of much needed inspiration.
When you say cross-posting assume you mean more than linking. So is it simply a question of getting someone's permission to use their content?
there's an option to cross-post. But I think it's polite to ask first
No....I've only ever cross-posted (about half a dozen times) to writers to whom I subscribe (because that's, of course, how I'm exposed to their stuff)...and, no, you need not ask for permission. Every writer would/should be eager/grateful for the coverage!!
I'm nervous about cross-posting without giving a heads-up to the original author, mainly because I don't know how I feel about it for myself.
Sure, I'd like the exposure, but I'm so old-school I'm still insanely protective of my own work and want to be able to choose where it appears.
I'd say don't cross-post without talking to the writer first. But that's me.
I guess I see it like "sharing" on social media. I'm not taking credit for the work, I'm just making sure my audience gets something that I also found interesting. I should really do this more often and see if I can get other "Stackers" to do this with me.
Wow. Permission and consent is something that matters to me, but I have cross-posted without permission before. It honestly hadn't even
occurred to me that some writers wouldn't want it. So thank you for expanding my perspective by sharing yours.
And, you'd have anyone's e-mail address (or, be able to get it from 'Stack), because you're subscribing to them. Meanwhile, of the six or so that I've cross-posted, about two have never acknowledged, or *gasp,* thanked me. If they hated the very notion, here's hoping they'd have the guts (or whatever) to, at least tell me......or, I might just think they're merely ungrateful.
I guess when we use the cross-post option, Substack would automatically display the fact that it is someone else's post, right? Or am i wrong? I've not cross-posted yet.
Just for me and the topics I write about, I'd love my work to be shared anywhere! I've had work published in a few magazines and websites, and as long as the sharing is legal, please "share away"!
Cross-posting is an opportunity to contact another writer, after all. Might prod them to take a look at your newsletter, if they haven't already.
Сross-post also bothers me, so I try to stay away from it.😬
Well you'd think so but some writers are, I guess understandably, touchy about unauthorised use of their content. You mean you just reprint and reference? (I think I'd probably want to clear it first)
"Unauthorized use," Fiona, is resolved by virtue of the fact you're giving clear and blatant credit to them and their post you're cross-posting. The only down-side is you may get fewer new subscribers from the exposure from the cross-post than you otherwise might've guessed you could have. And, if you're subscribing to them, anyway, and WANT to cross-post, you now have access to their e-mail address. Feel free to ask them. As for me (in case you're just itching to cross-post any of my articles), here's my certified "hey, it's OK....pull the trigger on it!"
I think if you quote someone's material, it's only good form (and legal) to cite where the information comes from. This is basic copyright. Once a person publishes content, they are the sole owner of the written material. My understanding about cross-post is it's sharing or linking to another person's content which I imagine shows that one is giving credit to the other writer.
Another question about terminology:
What exacty is cross posing and WHERE can I find a dictionary of social media terminology.
SPEAKING OF TERMINLOGY:
The English language is often characterized as a tongue with a marked propensity for growth. For example, I have read that for every french word there are five english words. For example, when we discovered the potato, the English made up a new word, potato. The French did not. They called it an apple of the ground, or pomme de terre.
However, Sometimes the linguistic mallebility of English seems to border on schizophrena. For example, why are plasma screen TVs given such a name. Plasma is a constituent of blood. Do we exalt technology so much that we think our boob tubes are akin to the life force that is blood.
Cross-posting is simply sending your subscribers a post of another writer's. When you get an e-mail post of a writer to whom you're subscribing, somewhere on the upper-right-hand corner is a square you can click on that says, "Cross-post." Click on it, and you can write a couple paragraphs (to YOUR subscribers) on why you think they'd like this article by another writer.
Substack will then send an e-mail to that writer informing them that you are cross-posting one of their articles. Here's the important part. That cross-posted article will only "live" in two places----the e-mail of your subscribers, and on your dashboard (so you can see the open rates/analytics of how your subbies react/respond to it, like any of your posts). IT WILL NOT SHOW UP ON YOUR SUBSTACK'S ARCHIVE PAGE (as if it were one of your articles)!
As for dictionary of social media terminology, can't help you!
As for your well-placed questions on words, I direct you to fellow word-lover, Martin Mull, who once said, "Some people have a way with words.....others not have way."
Don't quote me, but I think that "plasma" might be the name of a fourth state of matter: Liquid, solid, gas and plasma." I look it up, but I need to take a walk on a nice February day and don't need to find myself trapped in a rabbit warren on the web. Hmmm. The "web" that so often ensnares me. This reply is turning into a rabbit hole itself. A Black Hole of Time...
Maybe not ask, but alert them with a friendly email... I've only done one cross-post, though, and we are subscribed to each other's newsletters.
Yeah, you are making me think. I think a few of my posts are a bit too much whining 😅 But I try to then share a lesson I have learned by those bad days.
Like in this I share that "I must keep reminding myself" that I am gonna forget the lessons that helped me to go through the dark moments in my path. And that is just fine.
https://livmkk.substack.com/p/i-must-keep-reminding-myself-of-this
While in this I share that when all seemed to have come to an end, "In doubt, just do" was an antidote to get out of paralysis (and similar slogan to the one of a pretty famous brand I do not want to be associated with 👟).
https://livmkk.substack.com/p/in-doubt-just-do
You made me reflect and see a different perspective. I might not publish my last post and change it to be more positive ;)
Well, it seems to boil down to style. I'm amazed at writers who can speak informally to their subbies. I see what I write more as articles, and not chatty little newsletters where I'm talking to a neighbor over the fence. But, you need to be true to you....the kids, I think, like to say, "You be you."
But, if I'm helping you think about new approaches, fine!
I'll be 68 next month, and would love to have my "articles" outlive me, and be documents, to a degree, of rock history in the years after I'm gone. I also have several industry types subscribing to me, and I know that they expect deep, thoughtful dives into rock and pop music, its history and artists.
I appreciate it.
This isn't at all constructive, but given the subject matter of this thread it deserves sharing: <<and, it's OK to shout out the quality content of another 'Stacker!>>
Totally read that as another Slacker. :D
Nice! I guess it could be written as "St(l)acker"!😉
What is a subbie. The only thing that comes to mind is a masochist in an S and M relationship
That's it.....but, it can also be short for "subscribers." Something I always seem to be: Short for subscribers!
😂
Hi Brad,
I'd love for anyone on Substack to cross-post my work—all are welcome!
i would have loved to help you, Joan. My Substack is about creativity though. I'll take a look at yours and see if there's anything relateable.
My go-to is mangling a cat. Works every time
I've published every day on Substack for over 2 and a half years with the exception of an unplanned 6 day break bedridden with illness. So I think I'm eminently qualified to say: take a break if you need it. I promised my readers daily fiction. If you made no such promises, it's cool to take a day to let ideas percolate or just give your mind a rest. As someone else mentioned, you can be working on things like research without being pressured to hit the publish button.
I think we also need to normalize changing our minds and our committments to our readers. I've been publishing a founding member's letter once a week on Wednesday in addition to my weekly free Sunday letter and I realized it's just too much right now.
I think being honest and transparent with your readers and explaining why you need to shift your writing output humanizes all of us. In the end, we have to model the life we want for ourselves and others- including taking breaks and scaling back when needed!
i fully agree with you, Mariah.
Thanks for this, Mariah. I think it's a really good point. We have to figure out what works for us in our schedules and what we can reasonably complete. And if something changes to let subs know. I myself have a weekly, researched, article on topics such as emotion, grief, healing from trauma, and yes Joy! Yesterday I published a piece on resilience (check it out here: https://faithcbergevin.substack.com/p/resilience-really) as I am kind of fed up with the term. I also release an audio every week on the same essay for those who prefer to listen. It's a lot. And since I have paid subscribers, I am offering a monthly reflection (first one coming out soon). We'll see how it goes. But we need to balance our needs too. And being honest and transparent as you've said goes a long way to build relationship :)
I noticed that writing the daily articles was taking a little longer than I had planned. Apparently, this is what you are talking about. Maybe I should take a little break...
Yes, I know it's about #'s and say what ya want but no one wants to write in a void. Once ya get your audience and can write better for them and with them all other things will fall more in place. But til then all's fair. Keep finding what works
I have a goal to publish every Thursday night, which is largely bc my family is exhausted and in bed early at that point in the week. It’s turned into Friday AM and last week was Sunday. What I was trying to say wasn’t ready until then. It’s important to always write, but publishing needs to be when it’s ready.
I agree with you, Laura.
Publishing an article every day for two and a half years is commendable, Jimmy! Do you give yourself a couple of days a month to take a break, or are you stable in this regard?
I took a break when I had COVID. So there was one 6 day gap in the middle. I even publish stories on days I work on films. Substack stressed consistency as a key to success. I've given them that.
Thanks for the answer, Jimmy. It's rare to find a man who keeps the promises he makes to his audience for so long. Consistency is the way to success, I'll remember that!
That's what Substack said. Financially, in terms of paid subscribers, I'm well below where I need to be to call myself a success.
I'm going to be (maybe) a contrarian here. On days you don't feel like writing, you must still write.
Jerry Seinfeld worked every day. He called it 'The Streak' and he wasn't going to break it. Does every day have to be epic? Does every day have to be long? No. But put a word on paper.
One single word.
The streak continues...
A good approach especially if you procrastinate or avoid writing. Habits are good and you can start with 5-10 mins and see where it goes. Others may work more organically and that works too.
i hope we haven't confused Livio now...
This is what i actually do, Chris. If i can't write my Morning Pages then i at least write one sentence. It has often become the title of a future song!
And writing doesn't have to be a formal piece. It can be journalling - which helps clear out the mental cobwebs.
The best way to get writing is to write about why you don't have anything to write about today. A strange boolean loop that actually gets it going.
I'm always curious about when announcers talk about pro-athletes, who have skipped just a day or two of practice. They always say 'it's going to take a day or two to find their rhythm again."
Pro athletes - at the top of their game - needing to refind their rhythm just because they missed a day?
Writing is like that for me. I need to write to stay in shape. But yeah, different strokes for different folks.
Even this comment is a writing exercise to stay sharp. Ha ha.
“The best way to start writing is to write about why you don’t have anything to write about today.” This is one of the best quotes I have read.🔥
Great advise, Chris.....Having gone to college in the early '70s, I tried "The Streak." Can't say it helped my writing any, but I did get a lot of pointers.........and laughers.
But, seriously, a good idea, especially the reminder that you need not produce a "War and Peace" every day to consider yourself productive!
Couldn't have said it better. One sentence can be enough. One word even.
But makers, make. And writers, write.
✌Write on, Chris!✏
I've always found so much inspiration in Helen Sword's writing--and her new book, Writing with Pleasure just came out!
https://www.google.com/books/edition/Writing_with_Pleasure/CtGAEAAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&printsec=frontcover
looks interesting
Added to the reading list.
You have described most of my days when the scheduled time arrives. I have proven, over and over, that if I just get started, I'll find myself writing away and quoting Gilda Radner, "Did *that* come out of *me*!
Proofreading unsubmitted pieces will lead me to editing/revising. Our brains are loaded with ideas and sometimes you just have to poke a hole in the "dam" to start a flood. If nothing else, you will remind your brain that you have an important issue to resolve and it will work away on it as you sleep, or even nap.
Also, take a walk, watch a video or look at cartoons that you know will make you laugh! Laughter has a way of opening the creative sluices on dams.
So friggin' true! I think part of the reason I don't write is very simple (and outlined in Pressfield's great work 'The War of Art'): SELF-DOUBT. For me, I need to string the days together come hell or high water or self-doubt will start getting more and more of a foothold then it already has.
Just doing the work is the answer.
Some say that "80 percent of success is just showing up." One could quibble about the number, but the big idea is that if you don't show up, you will have a zero percent chance of succeeding. If you *do* show up, then whatever you produce is a success in the sense of having something to show for your time, besides a callous on your remote thumb or a cramp in the hand you have been holding your phone with.
Even awkward phrasing or structure can show you what *doesn't* work.
My problem is not writing. I write a *lot*. I can't stop the ideas or the compulsion to write them. But my self-doubt comes in when it is time to hit that big orange button and publish the ess oh bee. That has to stop. I am 80 now and had two heart attacks in the last year. And a stroke that impaired my left field of vision. The age-old question of "If not now, when?" will be answered in a single word if I don't overcome that fear: That word is "Never!"
yes, walking is an amazing way to deal with writers' block, Pete.
It is also a good way to discuss important issues with something. Instead of sitting across from each other, feeling like you have to fill the dead air time, even though you have nothing profound to add, you can just walk along, drift into small talk about that '55 Chevy that just went by, and then get serious again when you brain is ready to feed some new connections to your mind.
yes!
There is something magical that happens to our creative mind when we walk. Like getting in touch with our higher self.
Agree with a lot of the great advice below about taking breaks, being kind to yourself, etc. Another think you can do is write an extra amount when you DO feel motivated. I like to calendar a lot of my posts to allow for bigger rests in between.
The Matterhorn... i live in Zürich, Kathleen. Now i must have a look at your Substack!
Cool! I'll check yours out...I'm in Basel. Have a post running next week about where the name comes from.
Kathleen, am catching up after the fact (I juggle kid responsibilities with writing, so sometimes can't join this thread "live"). Looks like I may be in Basel all July & August - would love to grab a coffee with you and share tips & tricks about Substack writing, if you are interested?
- George
Sure, let me know!
ah, i didn't realise. Thank you. I'll be sure to take a look later today.
I like your approach.
I wish this is a problem that got easier over time. I'm almost two years in, and sometimes life completely gets in the way of me being able to get writing done. It's okay.
For all my bloviating here, Cole, I should mention that I'm retired! No job, no family, and my friends will be happy to know they're but a scant few. So, the time to write, compress, be inspired, be not-too-into-it, etc is, thankfully, fairly abundant. Take that into account.....and, why not..........this virtual hug from across the wires and miles!😉👍
I have a similar situation that you do. I have no wife and family, I am working freelance in Illustration, Graphic Design, and Writing. I think I spend way too much time on substack on my interests, but then again I also spend way too much time sending out proposals...doing other things...it is a balance issue.
Balance, indeed, Jimmy..........but, as a retiree, I get Soc Sec, which helps, and I'm not driven to have to find work, anymore...can just concentrate on getting out "onto paper" all my cool experiences/stories from my past!
Are you recording your voice as well?
In my experience, when I don't feel like writing, it's actually that I don't feel like writing in a structured, effortful way.
It often helps me to get some juices flowing by writing an off-the-cuff journal entry in another text editor.
It feels easy because it doesn't matter if it's not good, then as I keep writing I often end up finding something that I would actually like to share and maybe even polish up.
Resonating with what you wrote - thank you!
You’re in good company! Feel free to join me twice a week for a 2 hour, silent, virtual write-in! I’d love to have you join our growing little group of writers just plugging along. https://christinewolf.substack.com/p/lets-write-together-in-an-online
How does your group work?
Maybe don't put all the pressure on yourself to produce? Starting some discussion threads, or inviting some guests posts could help you mix things up. Cross posting is also a way to share quality content in place of one of your own posts (basically a guest post without the rigamorole?).
You do have to give yourself a break and also take time to think about other things. That is often when inspiration strikes. My substack is a summary/commentary of non-fiction books and so I read a LOT! I find it is when I take a little time away that I see connects, themes and have the moments of serendipity that fuel me to go on.
I hear you, thanks for this! I tend to take a lot of time away from writing, probably more than I want and then is when I struggle to come back hahaha. Consistency along with true drive is there. Also i tend to have a dilemma between my both languages and wanting to use them both. And these little big details keep me holding myself back which is also the issue. It's good I've been able to become aware of this all I guess!
I feel you! I don’t try to write every day.. But even trying to post once a week is a lot. Hopefully forums like this help motivate us.
It is a vulnerable thing to do to put your writing out there. So it’s good to have at least a handful of people who really share their encouragement with you
If you do what I did, you will always be able to write. Your writing will not necessarily be insightful or interesing, but you will produce a prodigious quantum of written matter.
I became a lawyer. A lawyer cannot tell the Court that his written submssions are not ready because he was not in the mood to write. The Court will harrangue and hound the attorney into the hottest recesses of hell for such cutesy, adolescent complaints
If you have a job which compells the constant production of paper, you will learn to crank it out no matter how you feel.
Thanks for your very good point! We either commit or we don't. And we can't hit every single one out of the park. Who said, "Don't let perfection be the enemy of the good?" I think it's Voltaire, but I think I heard President Obama say it.
I have the opposite of writer's block, more like writer's flood. So I'm wondering: should I post more than one post a day, schedule the posts, or write a magazine-type newsletter containing several articles on different topics. If anyone has any thoughts on this I'd love to hear them. Cheers!
Unless they are time sensitive pieces, my recommendation is to build up a catalog of scheduled future posts. There will come a day where this stops ot slows, if even briefly, and having posts on standby is a relief.
Definitely agree on making a stash! I get frustrated too when I feel like ‘oh this thing already happened it’s no longer relevant’ but there are ways to reframe the idea and keep it in the mix.
That happens to me with most of my ideas. I wait too long, and either eight pieces covering the same topic are published, or it becomes irrelevant.
everyone's viewpoint is different in some respect though
What is this mythical catalog of which you speak? :) In theory, there is no better idea. In reality, I haven't found a way to create future posts. I'm always working to my self-imposed deadline, one essay at at time. I do have the benefit of a cache of pieces from across the years, but I have not been successful at adding new content to the repository. #goals
Oh, how I wish I could keep a stash of future posts. I've never been able to bank more than a couple. I post weekly, and the discipline of the schedule has been a help. Keeps me focused, though there are times when I have felt very crushed.
I've thought about writing daily but on a different topic completely, but I think that would wind people up
I agree.
What a great point. Stash the articles for when hitting the dam.
Yes Brian, back up material always handy esp when faced with deadlines. I posted a day early by mistake just due to post stress and changes in schedule. Consistency is important
I love this Brian. Like most good advice, it feels so obvious in retrospect! I have to do this. I can feel future-me's relief already!
I agree. Speaking only for me, I do not have time to read more than one post a day from anyone.
Ditto.
Thanks, Brian. Makes sense.
Oh, I don't know about posting more than once a day! I'm nervous about even once a day, mainly because I'm picturing my own inbox and how I feel when it's inundated by newsletters from the same people too often.
I solve it by ignoring them, and I'm probably missing out on some good stuff, but I see it as someone appearing at my door every day. No matter how much I might like them, if I know they're going to be knocking at my door that regularly I'm already getting annoyed. And I especially wouldn't want to see them MORE than once a day.
Yes to ALL of this.
Plus, I should be teaching, not writing ALL the time ;-)
and reading. Whose mad idea was it to have only 24 hours in a day?
I have SO many newsletters stacked up that I need to read. Thank GOODNESS for the ability to turn off email notifications and keep the newsletters on my Reader App.
Haha, totally. There's ALL the books still to read.
That's a good analogy, Ramona. I get frustrated and tetchy when I receive more than one a day from the same person. But I only threw that in for the sake of completeness. I would very rarely do it, if ever
Yes Ramona, email clog bad and we must be aware not to add to it. I had idea come my way regarding sending posts in a different language. Has anyone done this?? If so, would like to try it and send posts separately to that audience
Ooo...Terry, I like this idea of a magazine-type newsletter with several articles. As a reader, I can't keep up with more than a couple of posts a week from most publications.
I'm the same, Holly. And the comments (will reply to yours soon -- thank you!). I received a magazine-type newsletter from someone the other day and it was really good to sit down and read several articles in one place
TBD over at Thanks For Letting Me Share posts daily, but Saturday he sends out a digest recapping the posts of the week. That's really cool for the weeks that are super busy for me and I can't get to it all.
That's a clever idea!
I've been doing weekly (ish) roundups that are a mix of my writing, cross posts or links to other substacks (because that is one of the most beautiful things about this place, songs, tiktoks, whatever i've collected during the week that's helped me feel inspired.
They are still probably too long (because i tend to be a huge collector of inspiration) and Im playing with whether or not to make them free, or paypall part... but I've really enjoyed doing them.
Then - i either use the smaller bits to prompt a larger essay, or a slice the roundup into smaller instagram pieces that point back to substack.
That sounds like a good idea. I do something like that in a series called 'Start the week'.
I'm only subscribed to like twenty or so newsletters, and I can't keep up with them.
It gets overwhelming because I want to read every single post. I'm learning to let that mindset go. There are certain 'stacks I know I want to read every post, so when I have time, I go check out their archives to see what I've missed. There are others that I'm okay with missing.
Now i wish i could save my substacks subs into categories! Wouldn't that be nice (must read, check occasionally)
I agree! I wish saved posts could be dropped into categories, too!
I think you can do that with the Sections bit, and ask subscribers to sign up to just the ones they want
I'm the same. I've signed up to SO MANY that it's become unmanageable. I sat down to cull some yesteday and struggled to let any go. Hhmm. Must learn to kill my darlings...
I culled some yesterday as well, Medha. I'm now down to about 85. Yikes!
Same here, but you just have to prioritise the quality ones, like the ones what I write 😂
I hope mine doesn't fall into that latter category, Holly. My muse, my art, all for nought...
Ha! Never!
I was going to say the same thing!
I doubt if that would happen! And you've reminded me that I have to take some time to sit in your parlor and read your good stuff!
Yes, I think that's the way I do it, too. Sometimes I'll read a post that really grabs me and then I'm there sitting in their parlor, reading more and more and enjoying it thoroughly.
I think if they came too often into my inbox I'd miss some of them because I just don't have time to look at all of them every day.
I love the analogy of "sitting in their parlor" because that's how I feel when I sit with one writer for a while. And now I'm realizing just how much I enjoy that, so I think this week I will try the sitting in one writer's parlor at a time to get through my reads. :)
You have a parlour? In England a parlour was a room for entertaining guests, in Edwardian times. Or we have ice cream parlours and beauty parlours.
I save a bunch of them to read in batches.
I would just start writing and schedule them out. That's what I try to do when I have more to write about and time to write but I don't want to flood my readers' inboxes.
Thanks, Sarah. Yes, I worry about inbox-flooding too. Sometimes I post articles without sending them anywhere, and then allude to them in a future posting
That's what I've been doing as I pull over older pieces from my WordPress.
Do you find that people still see them and read them? Is there a way to know? Or does Substack only count the email opens and not the 'read in app'?
I am a fan of scheduling them as well.
That's great! If it were me, I would schedule the posts in advance because I would anticipate a "drought" to follow. Or I'd write a ton at once but let some languish in drafts for a while until I can really polish them up and make them shine. As a reader I get overwhelmed when I get more than one post per day from anyone.
I feel the same way.
Yes, I have about seven of those 'not-quite-polished-enough' in drafts already! Thanks, Valorie
Personally, I prefer a digest of multiple topics I can scan rather than a daily email. Too many emails and I'll often set them aside to read later... of course, later never comes. ;-)
Agreed!
yes. My 'saved' list is expanding by the day!
Ooo…! I used to have that as a kid. Blessing and a curse. I would say organize your work into topics and sections. Maybe play with release dates and schedule away. Whatever cadence you think will be more engaging should win out. If that’s longer, researched pieces or more frequent quips, try and find out.
This is what I've begun doing. My issues have three topics of different kinds of content and are limited to one issue a week. I think this will be more readable for most than the constant barrage of emails/posts.
Thanks, that sounds doable. I worry that people might forget my existence if I email them only once a week!
They won't. Most of the big-time writers here on Substack spread out their posts to once or twice a week and they don't lose followers.
You might tempt them with a hint about what you'll post next time, so they'll have something to look forward to.
I do that occasionally, but wonder if that looks daft once the 'next time' is in the past
You can add a line or two to the newsletter going out to inboxes, then edit it out once it's been posted. That way your subscribers will see it, but it won't stay on your page.
How could we forget you, Terry?!
Flattery will get you everywhere, Alicia, though I suspect in your case it is more a case of gentle ribbing. 😂
A bit of both! 😂
I would probably schedule them. Also, writing too much may lower the quality of each post. So, maybe use a notes app to get your thoughts on paper, then work on them one at a time to make a top-quality newsletter per day. Unless your community wants more than 1 a day, ask them
Thanks.
I publish once per week with three or four stories in one newsletter. I don’t want several newsletters per week by anyone. 🤣
Nice...writer's flood.
May I point out that I have just copyrighted that phrase
yeah, well I just registered writersflood.com as a new website...
Ha!
touché 😂
I say not more than one post a day. Personally, I think that the reader/subscriber can get inundated with all these posts. Sometimes, I can't read all of your posts in the same day. But when I get time, I go back to them and catch up. My 2 cents.
Thanks, for the feedback, Matthew
I was hoping to come down with writer's flood syndrome myself. I am able to imagine it, and to imagine what I would do with it. I would not look to cure myself. As for Substack, I think that I would not mail everything. Put them up on the site, possibly add more pages if you have material that can be categorized. Then send out a mailing like the ones you send recommending other writers with short excerpts, linking to those online posts. Recommend yourself.
Ha! Ditto. Me too. Always.
I believe Seth Godin has said that he usually writes 5 articles for every one he publishes. The one a day is what he goes with.
I think it's a great way of being able to select content that'll matter the most to your readers. You have more to choice in what to offer.
Hey Terry, been thinking same esp regarding the content for a private substack. I have no writers block either. Have been writing here for a year now with all new material rarely even touch older material. Focus on what ya love see who follows or find out what themes readers prefer. Hope that helps
What would be the advantage of a private newsletter for that in yr opinion?
You can choose who you allow to read it thereby creating intimacy if you want to share more openly or personally. People feel invited, select etc
thanks, Sam
Just stopping in to say thank you to the Substack team at large. I've been on the platform now for a year (woohoo!) and it's given me an opportunity to publish my fantasy and science fiction short stories and be a part of a great community of readers and writers. It's been such a positive, refreshing experience and I think 2023 is going to be another great year. Thanks Katie to you and everyone keeping things rolling here on office hours. ⭐⭐⭐
Happy one year, Brian! We're glad you choose to write here.
Congrats on the 1-year mark. We see many come and go and many who come on with grand illusions as to how easy this is. Those with a realistic vision tend to last and provide value.
Amazing.
Long time Substacker (since 2020), first Substack office hours I'm attending.
I write Context Collapse, a newsletter for journalism, PR, advertising and marketing professionals: https://nealungerleider.substack.com
I'm here because I see Substack added quite a few features recently and I thought I could be helpful for folks who are at different places on their newsletter journey.
Hey Neal, thanks for stopping by!
Thank you Neal
Long time substack reader, first time writer (as of this week!) Have been contemplating how to keep the momentum going after the initial rush.
Congrats Sofia! I hope you keep going. If you can target once a week, that's often a good benchmark to stay in touch with subscribers. We have found that the format type doesn't matter as much as consistency does. Your weekly post doesn’t have to be a lengthy essay, it could be a short post, an audio note, or discussion thread. Here are a few examples of different post styles: https://on.substack.com/p/types-of-posts-on-substack
Agreed! Switching up your format is a great way to keep a consistent schedule, and it also helps to shake loose your writing pen if you’re feeling less motivated. Also, consider collaborations and cross-posts!
100% makes sense! Thanks for your response and sharing the resource, Katie!
Congrats Sofia! Keep your foot on the gas, but make time to pause and remember what a blessing it is to do what you love.
Love that sentiment, Ben. Thanks for the beautiful reminder :)
Welcome, Sofia! Early on in my Substack journey, I decided to start posting once a week. This consistent schedule kept me constantly churning at the keyboard, writing a little something every day so I could meet that deadline. So that's the best advice I can give--pick a publishing schedule that works for you then cut it in half. :) At one point I decided to publish twice a week, which worked for that unbusy season in my life. After a couple of months, I realized that once a week is the sweet spot for me.
Thank you for sharing Holly! I agree that the consistency is helpful in encouraging us to show up.. glad you found your sweet spot!
I have seen many Substacks have an initial rush and then they peter out, and that is frustrating as a reader. Better to find something that works for you and stick with it. I found once a month to be too much pressure for me, as for my newsletter Be Your Own Hero (https://louisejulig.substack.com) I am writing longer articles. I found five to six weeks works best for me right now, and in my Welcome email I set expectations with my subscribers that "I can't guarantee Be Your Own Hero will come out at entirely predictable intervals, but I can guarantee I'll put a lot of thought into whatever I send." I felt much better after that. I'm experimenting with publishing book reviews in between some of my longer articles, but then my book reviews went long, lol.
I love the 'set the expectation' thing.
Welcome to the other side. ;-) Momentum comes as you develop your voice and find a stride to work within. I have way more stories in my to-do list than I have time to write now that I've found my voice here. Best thing is to find a good writing day and write ahead a few stories so you have some "in the bank". Keep that bank full and you'll never feel the PRESSURE to produce.
Yes!! Those are the best kind of days... that remind us why we write in the first place. Thanks for sharing, David!
Probably wade it out for a few days or a few weeks, so you can have more content to write about. Don’t want to go to overboard with writing to the point where you get carpal tunnel syndrome lol.
Hello and happy Thursday everyone!
Hi Kevin!
Hi Katie!
Happy Thursday, Kevin! :D
Happy Thursday to you too!
Hey Kevin 👋.
Frustration. Sadness I guess. Publishing my novel here is a nice release, but the silence is soul-sucking at times. I'll get over it. #venting
You've got this Bill! Keep going
Thank you, Katie!
I know how painful it is to put your bleeding heart onto the page to crickets. It hurts like hell, but pushing through is absolutely worthwhile in my experience. You and your writing are growing regardless of the current response (or lack there of). You're showing up for yourself and that's always the first and, I think, scariest step. It's brave as hell. Most people won't do that much.
Thank you! Wise words indeed and much appreciated.
How long did it take to write! Congrats!! Sci-fi is a fav genre of mine!
Thank you! A year to write and about a year of editing. It's complete and I release a chapter a week while working on another novel and short stories.
It takes time to build up readership. Stick with it. Substack works.
Thanks. I will. I’m tenacious if anything.
How are you getting the word out, Bill?
Mainly social channels. Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, my own website, and couple random ones. I subscribed to a couple mailing list sites like Inboxreads and The Sample. I’ve recently printed promotional cards with a QR code to hand out and/or accidentally drop in comp titles in bookshops. Going to schedule some time screaming from rooftops next :-)
Ha! Don't take to the rooftops yet. I have posted nearly nothing about my Substack on socials. I mostly did that because I didn't actually want my friends and family reading. :) What I have done is simply engage in the comments of other substacks I'm reading and show up here most weeks. That's where the growth began. Now subscribers are also arriving through the recommendations of other writers, too. It's been painfully slow at times, but I'm finally nearing 300 subscribers after eight months with a 60-70% open rate on each post. I also have great engagement in my post comments. My writing is very different from yours, but there are readers out there just waiting to discover your work. Try resting from social media for a couple of weeks and simply show up in Substack. Obviously, don't spam, but thoughtfully commenting on others' work raises a level of interest in who you are and what you're writing.
You've done well, Holly, well done (that's sort of palindromic!)
Congrats Holly, that's wonderful. I haven't done enough of what Holly advises which I think is wonderful advice. I still haven't figured out where to engage. My sub is about renovation and architecture and there isn't a category for that yet.
Bill, I haven't posted on social but I sent the newsletter to people I know and most of them subscribed. The silence is is an odd behavior. I don't have any comments on my posts but I know people are reading from the analytics. One of my posts on foam insulation did well on the Sample, maybe because people could relate to it. That brought in a bunch of subscribers.
I've just subscribed, RenoQueen. We live in a 1930s bungalow that we're renovating bit by bit. We also own a 120-year-old two-story commercial building in our town that we operate as an event venue. There's always something to fix there! Looking forward to your tips and tricks.
Thank you for the thoughtful comments! Good advice to relax from social, it’s the worst. I have done some engagement on other stacks and will do more to be sure.
I wish could remember where I saw it, but someone posted stats on all their social efforts and the ROI was dismal. I'd be curious to know if you start gaining subscribers by focusing your efforts here on Substack rather than social media.
That's an extraordinary open rate Holly! Well done you.
Lots of good info here. Just really hard to follow in the thread, when I click on a reply to me It just takes me back to the full thread and I have to find it by scrolling or Find "keyword".
I think categories or a direct way to get to your comments/replies would be a great feature add.
Thanks!
Heck yes. Every office hours post has many comments about how quickly people get lost in here.
If you make a comment that you want to be able to get back to easily, you can click on the timestamp next to your comment as soon as it's posted. That link will consistently take you right back to your own comment, and you can easily see any replies. For example, here's the link to your comment: https://on.substack.com/p/office-hours-67/comment/12652654
I really think Substack should use this link in the notifications, instead of having every comment notification link to the overall thread.
Wow, I didn't know that! Very helpful tip ... thanks for sharing it!
i didn't know that either
that helps, thanks!
This is a great tip! Thank you Eric
Hi all - I am brand new here :-) I am preparing to launch a weekly newsletter next week called "The Creative Tusk", about how each one of us can develop a creative mindset and practice creativity in our personal and professional lives - especially if you are in a "non-creative" vocation. Mind is inundated with making sure the launch is smooth. I am also looking forward to connecting with fellow writers and being part of this community.
Welcome Rakesh! You've come to the right place to meet other writers.
If you haven't already checked them out, here are our guides to getting started to help with the launch: https://on.substack.com/p/start-a-substack-newsletter
Welcome, Rakesh! It is exciting for you to be starting your Substack!
Hello Substackers, I'm relatively new here. I launched The Healthy Jew: Finding Wellness With Purpose a month ago. Growth is going slow but I hope steady, and,more important, I love this platform and it's writers centered model.
My Substack covers the numerous intersections of health and Judaism. Ill add that although it deals with many religious subjects, the content and message is always universal.
My question is if I should put I the settings the primary topic as spirituality and religion or health and wellness? Or does it not make a difference?
How else can I network this topic in the Substack community?
Thanks for any suggestions!
Hi Shmuel, whichever category you choose to put first is how you are considered for the leaderboards. The other category helps with search. I'd take a look at each leaderboard and see which one feels like good company for your publication today. You can always change it later.
https://substack.com/browse?utm_source=%2Finbox&utm_medium=reader2-nav
Thanks! So besides the leaderboarding - which is of course a long term goal, but not immediatly relevant - I'm not making a statement with this for how I'm presenting my publication to potential readers?
Shmuel, I write about faith a good bit, and I have my first category set to Culture and second as Faith and Spirituality. I agonized over which categories to choose because in end, none of them cover my slice-of-life writing. I've written about my son's addiction and recovery, my experience as a stem cell donor for my brother fighting AML, my life in rural Mississippi, and random people who have crossed my path and changed me. No neat little box satisfies--so I just closed my eyes, picked two, and let me writing and recommendations do the rest.
Fascinating. I hope the Substack team will stop by here and help us sort this out.
I'm having the same query! I put the primary as spirituality and secondary as wellness. I figure I will leave it like that for a month and then switch, see if it makes a difference?
Interesting, let's see what happens. Great idea for Substack, I subscribed.
Thank you so much & likewise!!
I would pick religion and spirituality; in my perspective of what you write, spirituality would subsume all else, including health and wellness. Of course, I am never sure exactly where my writings fit. I wrote for many years under health and wellness, which now I feel somewhat misses the point. Sometimes my expression is more in the philosophy and spirituality area. I sometimes get beyond my scope of knowledge. Recently, when I wanted to talk about Martin Buber, eastern mysticism, and Kabbalah, I got over my head, put that part aside, and wished I had stuck with health and wellness.
Thanks Ron, I definitely agree that "from the inside" I'm writing a religion column - with the belief that religion is a formula for healthy living, a proposal that I explore in various ways pretty much every week.
I'm still unsure though from the practical standpoint though which one will be more effective in getting to the widest audience. Sounded from Katie that doesn't make difference until I get to Leaderboard, which is a ways off.
In the meantime, I haven't even got to the point where my column comes up when I search "health and Judaism." One step at a time.
Welcome!
Thank you, Joan!
I published my first piece yesterday. I've been blogging for 12 years on my own WordPress site. I posted diligently, 4 or 5 times a week, plus my contributors. But it plateaued and faltered in 2015. I missed those days when I was back in that same groove I had as a journo and editor of a print magazine. I can feel myself sliding back into that space again with Substack. Love it.
Fixes? I'd be grateful for more creative freedom with formatting the actual website. I understand that we might have a choice of themes coming out?
Benvenuto James, fellow polyglot, film biz veteran and world traveler! Ah, creative freedom on a platform designed to serve volumes is necessarily about compromise... but it's doable. As Nancy says below, you do have a fair amount of freedom with the written content and hopefully we'll gain more over time. With any platform like this that gives you access to a vast community, you give up a little autonomy. I'm ok with that... otherwise I'd be here all day playing with colors :)
Yeah!! SS is a great community.
Grazie.
Totally with you on this, James. It's the control one has as a writer that's so important--no editors leaning over my shoulder saying, hey, you need to cut out 150 words.
Also with you on formatting the pages. I'm grateful for the opportunity to put up more than one image at a time but would like to be able to play around with text--i.e., centering a piece of poetry which so far I've not been able to do.
p.s. you'll never believe who I met at the Grand Hyatt in NYC some years ago... Amitabh Bachchan (!!)
Hah! My wife knows the Bachchans well. I've never met them, but they have a sterling reputation.
I met them both at a book signing... Amitabh signed my copy. Still have it... the book is as tall as he is lol. They do seem like a lovely couple.
I'm quite tall, too. I don't know if you've read my inaugural post, but in the bazaars of Mussoorie, where it took place, the shopkeepers gave me Amitabh's nickname, "lambu shehzada," the tall crown prince. My man servant was known as the 'lambu shehzada ka chela,' which means the tall crown prince's disciple. He was so proud of that. He was an Untouchable, the shopkeepers upper caste, but because of his association with me... Anyway, for another post.
I understand, from some sources, that the "untouchables" as a caste are not as looked down upon these days in India as in earlier years... do you find that to be true? Is there any hint of society equalizing a bit as people realize we are all the same flesh and blood?
That last snippet needed a whole bunch of context and an explanation of the caste system, which I'll be exploring further down the line. In many instances in India, especially in those days, it wasn't possible to manage a house without staff. I always called Jumna "my man," but that sounded like he might be my romantic partner, so I went with the Indian English term "man servant" to make the distinction. Before working for me he was a gardener, never came in the house because of his Untouchability contaminating the food, and other truly shocking beliefs. By changing the role that he was born to play his entire life, I changed his life for good; staff trained in Western households come at a premium in India. He was married at 11... it's very hard to explain all this without shattering every American notion of decency. I'm sure that 30 years later, his family's house in his native village is the envy of neighbors.
Very thoughtful, thank you James for taking the time to write this. I've been to South America where the relatively well off have household staff, and they're not always treated right. No wonder the people end up protesting in the streets. Hell, I would if I were treated like that just b/c of the family I'd been born into. Good on you that you treated him so well and gave him a view into what is possible.
Amazing!
What you have then is a great wealth of already published content that you can repurpose here. 4-5 times a week. I am jealous.
Hahaha. Don't be jealous... okay, go ahead. I have a LOT to say. I am going to import some older posts from my blog that are relevant to this new focus and purpose. Per my About page, I've been blessed and cursed by an exotic life; it's purely circumstantial, and I Iean heavily on the side of determinism in the free will-determinism debate, so it's nothing I take credit for — it just happened that way. Once upon a time, Dad was a Cold War spy in Italy, and Mum was a regular Auntie Mame...
Welcome, James!!
Thanks!
I’m new here, So I run a substack where one of my goals is too raise awareness of International News to everyone especially those who are not interested. While I have found some success in getting those who are not interested in International News interested in it, I still want to reach other people. If there is any substackers who can give me advice on doing that, it would be greatly appreciated.
Thank You.
That is the main question here on Substack -- how to find readers. Honestly, I wonder about that too. I have a modest subscriber list of a little over 200 and most of those have come from people I am already connected to on social media or in real life that I have let know about my work. If you don't have a topic that is financial or recipes or something that has a broad appeal I'm not sure how people are doing it. Best of luck though -- I will check out your Stack. Mine is Be Your Own Hero, about being brave in small moments. Good luck!
Interesting niche. Good luck, be interested to see how this goes.
Thanks for this Katie. Top of mind today is finding other memoirists on Substack. A "Memoir" category on the the Explore page would be a very welcome addition.
Hi Bowen,
I'm a memoirist here on Substack. I incorporate research with my lived experiences on topics such as mental health, emotion, and dealing with the "unspeakable" nature of some traumas, resulting in feeling like we must remain silent. It is not for everyone, but it is my hope that sharing my work illuminates and creates a feeling of community, instead of isolation. My most impactful piece is this (if you're interested):
https://faithcbergevin.substack.com/p/what-burns-in-you
thanks Faith -- I only just saw your comment now -- will read!
I agree! Not that my slice-of-life writing falls into that category (maybe some?), but memoir is one of my favorite genres.
Thanks for speaking up Holly -- I'll check out your writing! You might enjoy this piece on anger, addiction, and depression → https://decidenothing.substack.com/p/five-years-sober
I beat you to it... already reading... :)
Thanks!
I am seeing lots of interest in the memoir collective idea! btw for anyone interested in More Memoir, the best way to stay tuned is to subscribe to my 'stack for now. We have a couple of core members already and are aiming to get something out in the next couple of weeks!
Loved the piece on promoting a book on Substack. Got me thinking. 🤔
👀
Hi, Katie!
It gave me both encouragement and ideas for promoting my first self-published work. I'm still frustrated by slow growth, but trying to focus on slow and steady.
Jolene, I will be first in line, my friend! (Probably literally.)
It will be just the two of us, probably 🤣 Thanks, Sarah!
Hi! I have a feature request.
We have previews for email and website, on mobile and desktop, for free and paid users. I would love to see one more option on the users dropdown, to see what the page looks like for people who are not logged in to Substack.
For example when a post gets shared widely and a large number of people come in from an external site, what do they see? I'm mostly interested in making sure my subscribe buttons don't double up with any default Substack buttons or prompts.
I second this feature request
Copy the base address of your substack, then open an incognito window or Inprivate windo and you will see what they see.
:facepalm:
You're right, I've been doing that all along and hadn't realized that all the public posts would look the same. Thanks!
That is a great workaround but I hear you, would be nice to see in previews too!
my substack is almost two months old!! and just recently i published a tiny love letter for february 🤍
Thanks for attending Office Hours today! The Substack team is signing off but we'll be back next week to help answer questions.
Happy writing!
Katie, Seth, Sofia, Josh and Cain
Thank you for all your help!
thank you, Team Substack!
Hello all, and happy Office Hours! Here's a little bit of encouragement from one small newsletter to all of you:
Today, I want to talk about the often invisible effects of our work. How many pieces of written work have you read that changed your life in some way, and the writer of that work has zero idea? How many of those writers have you gone back to and thanked, or left a comment, or sent a private message or piece of fanmail? If you're like me, it's not many!
This isn't a message to guilt you, but to encourage you: if this is something you relate to, then just imagine how many people might be out there reading your work and loving it, yet not able to tell you for whatever reason? Maybe they're shy, or maybe they just don't know how to say it. You might even be changing someone's life and have NO idea! That's why it's incredibly important to keep pushing forward, even if you aren't getting the feedback you hope for. Your invisible readers are very much real people, and they love what you do!
Keep going, keep writing, and DON'T GIVE UP! 🌿
This week a reader accidentally replied to one of my posts rather than forwarding it to their friend. They never comment on the articles or like or anything, but here they were forwarding it to a friend with a kind note. It was really nice to see a slice of life of a reader, and to know that engagement is happening even if it's not happening in ways visible to substack.
I did reply and tell the reader that their intended recipient did not receive it, and thanked them for reading. Who knows how many little events like this are happening that we DON'T accidentally get to see!
Good reminder, SE!
I love this.
That's awesome - love it.
What a buoy!
Yes Scoot, great point. I have just started sending replies to writers and getting around to reading and commenting where and when I can. A lot of posts are quite long and involved can't read them all. Schedule a day to send writer love. Those comments and the elusive shares are gist for the mill
Yep, just need to pick a day to really spend time giving other writers the love.
So true isn't Sarah. Gotta make the time for each other.
That is pretty awesome! I often wonder how I can get more people to share my work, but I love that you got to accidentally see some good coming from your Substack :-)
I had this happen too, and it's was so sweet to see. I replied to them too.
Great.😍
So many books, articles, and quotes have molded me into the person I am today. Just this morning, Kerri over at Three Small Smiles inspired me to keep going. Julie at Run to Write does that often, too. I never know when the words I need to read are going to land. That's why it's important to me to read the obscure writers out there.
The fact that I inspire one of my favorite writers, is humbling and inspiring to me, Holly. Thank you! xoxo
Hi Holly, just wanted to say I just read your posts and loved them! How do you discover your writer friends and form a connection with them? Is it just something as simple as commenting on each other post, or is it something else? When you first started writing, how did you get more engagement and build your community?
Thanks, Karlie! My strategy was simply to write--to show up every week with a new post. Then I started checking out other writers and reading--many of them unrelated to what I write about. And as I engaged with other writers/spaces, they took notice of what I was doing. Some became supporters of my Substack via mentions and recommendations. Take, for example, TBD at Thanks for Letting Me Share. Early on, I wrote about my son's addiction/recovery journey. I think I found TBD and his 'stack here in Writer Office Hours. He reached out with encouragement, and I started reading TFLMS. And WOWZA how it helped me so much. TBD has pointed to several of my posts in his newsletters, and has even recommended me via the recommendations feature. I've gained over 80 subscribers from TFLMS--all because I was a mother desperate to learn more about addiction recovery. When you start getting more subscribers, things will start to snowball from there. As for the engagement in the comments, I think it's just my writing style. People have said they feel like I've invited them to sit down for a cup of coffee and talk like old friends. I write with authenticity and encourage others to share their thoughts, even though their opinions may be different from mine.
True ❤️
These little nudges adds up to something big! So many things to learn from everyone and I believe everyone has a story to tell!!
So true and timely for me to hear as I'm approaching the half-year of my newsletter. I do occasionally hear from someone regarding the impact of my writing -- just often enough to keep me motivated! Just a few weeks ago my husband told me his coworker was moved by an essay I wrote, and neither of us even knew he was subscribed or reading. It meant a lot that he would say something.
I always enjoy your posts, Jen...just haven't had as much Substack reading time lately as I'd like. Keep writing! I'll catch up one of these days. :)
No worries! I love getting a flurry of comments from you when the time is right! :)
Oh that's beautiful!
YES to this!
Reminiscent of what I read and flagged just days ago in Colm Toibin's "The Master" but had never considered myself...
"He had never, in all the years, seen anyone purchase or read one of his books. And even if he has witnessed such a scene, he would not have known the effects of his sentences. Reading was as silent and solitary and private as writing."
I'm reading The Master too!
That's fun!
that's beautiful..."the effects of his sentences." Reading and writing really can be very solitary but both so powerful.
Mmmmm. Nice. I like that. True.
So true, since I started on substack, I have read so many pieces that have made me think and changed how I view things. But because it is a gradual process, the writer of those pieces may never know.
I agree that it can be a gradual process, Sharon. That's why I keep a running note (in Evernote) of the articles I read that speak to me--maybe it's only a whisper, sometimes it's a shout, but all of those stitches come together eventually to form the tapestry.
Oh that's a great idea! It never occurred to me to track them.
I have to--my brain can't hold all the things anymore! LOL!
I get this. As an English teacher at universites in Korea, every now and then a student would write me years later to say I'd made a difference. And so they made a difference for me.
I always look for your comment on these threads now.
Same!
I try to hit all the folks I follow with a comment or kind word. I do agree that getting feedback, comments and some love go a long way towards making me want to write more and I hope I can have a positive effect on those writers I love on!!
We have so little time, it’s important to tell people how you feel. I’ve done that with writers, fashion designers, influencers, craftsman… my one mission is to leave the place better than I found it.
YES! Coincidentally, my post for this Saturday is about a 1969 LIFE magazine article that helped set the course for my life. Eight pages of words and images about the development of the Apollo Lunar Module. It fueled my interests in spaceflight, engineering, and art ... and quite possibly is the reason my office is filled with spacecraft contractor models. I hope to pass that spark of inspiration on to the next generation of Space Geeks.
Yes! I get comments around from different places (rarely on my posts, usually in-person or through social media or DMs), that tell me my work is landing. And you are right, I do read in “ghost mode” at times, too 👻
Sage advice & (as always) thank you!
Thanks for the reminder, S.E.! A couple of week's ago a fellow Substacker wrote a lovely piece and I'm going to Shoutout about her here because it had an impact on me:
https://roxannedarling.substack.com/p/are-you-too-efficient
She had these little card designs on creating a new alphabet of intentions and I chose two: being CURIOUS over critical and being FREE-SPIRITED over functional. I took it to heart and that night went dancing and felt more free-spirited in a long time and curious about something that been bothering me (rather than critical which had been my default where one particular issue was involved). So yes, sometimes we write something and it has a profound impact on others - and yes, S.E., I did tell Roxanne directly :)
that's a great push and encouragement to SAY BEAUTIFUL THINGS when beautiful things come to mind, especially about someone else's creative work :)
This is so true!!!
🤘🤘❤️❤️
Dear Substack, I'd really love for you to go back to the "Let me read it first" message rather than "No thanks". It's friendlier, and more descriptive.
Most of what Substack does and is, though, is wonderful! I hope that discussion threads like this can keep the same positive sincerity as they grow bigger and bigger.
Personally, I'm happy to have hit publish on a post a couple days ago (https://alasdairpedley.substack.com/p/breakthroughs) , though I'm having trouble sticking to my aim of a weekly post. I don't want to write for the sake of getting it done, I'd rather wait until I have some inspiration and something good to give to my readers. Tricky balance.
Yes, I liked "let me read it first" much better also. The nope message makes me feel as if I've slammed the door in the writer's face.
That is exactly how the new message makes me feel too. I want to welcome people in and this does the opposite.
Yes me too Diane don't know why Substack changed that. Have you noticed when you press the share button it comes up Shared. Which doesn't jive with my 0 share #'s
I'd like to see that button go back to how it was, too!
Or give us the option to choose between the two
I agree that the new message on the home page is not an improvement and wish it could be friendlier.
Related -- the subscribe flow is too damn long! There are like five or six different pages asking people to do things! It almost makes me want to turn off chat and the podcast just so it reduces pages. Every time I get someone to subscribe in real life, they complain about the flow.
I've been saying that since day 1! It turns some of my folks off...
What do you mean by the flow?
When someone subscribes, they need to go through some pages (recommend, subscribe to other substacks, etc.). What we suggest is that on a single subscribe page you enter your email, choose what type of subscription, click ok and you are on the writer's home page.
Agreed.
Yes, yes yes!!! I hate the "no thanks" button. "Let me read it first" is so much more inviting and friendly, and actually acknowledges the way most people work. I always check out the rest of the posts before I subscribe. The "No thanks" button feels passive aggressive.
agree!
Definitely agree!
I am not sure what the purpose of the page is as it feels premature and gets in the way. Anything it does could easily be done on the main page. I'd prefer to subscribe once I have had a chance to read a few posts.
I'll clarify that I do understand the intent. The page's purpose is to provide a quick description of the newsletter. However, the type is so small that I don't think many people read it and it creates an unnecessary extra click. Perhaps if it did more... for example, it provided a preview of the writer's most popular post, it might be more useful. Or do away with it and have a larger header/description on the main page that goes away when someone has subscribed.
I second this! I strongly prefer the let me read it first message.
YES YES YES
Yes! As revised, it sounds rude to me.
Agreed, I'm not a fan of "No thanks", it feels rude and I think prompts them to NOT subscribe...
Love your blog name haha
Haha I take it you've read The Tao of Pooh?
Here's a bit of really good advice from fellow Brit Florence HR Scott, who writes about women in early medieval history (https://florencehrs.substack.com/p/medieval-academy-of-america-podcasting):
"Never write with a bad faith reader in mind. You always need to write for your most enthusiastic, most interested subscriber, who loves what you do. The minute you start writing for this reader in your head who will tear apart everything you say, or god forbid you’re writing for the most respected expert in your field who might be looking to disagree with you or catch you out, you’re not gonna produce good writing, you’re not gonna produce a good podcast. You will tie yourself in knots hedging every sentence and including far too much reasoning and information - and let’s be honest that’s what academic writing is for...
By all means cite the scholars whose work you use, provide reading suggestions if you want, quote other authorities, give credit where credit is due definitely. But if you are speaking or writing for a public audience you have to trust yourself that the way you’ve processed the information is reasoned and valid and is coming from a knowledgeable, sensible perspective. If you don’t trust your own expertise, how can you expect your readers to trust your expertise?"
The number of times, on topics, I've heard the 'what makes you think you can speak on this.' or 'what credentials do you have'. Fundamentally these are from small minded people who are often spiteful. Becuase it doesn't take a huge effort to study and grow yourself.
That's what I'm trying to help people see with my essays. That you can explore new areas, find new things and, as I love to say. "Learn, Unlearn, and Relearn" which is the core of Polymathic Being.
We're allowed! It's a fact.
And also, everyone else is allowed to poke holes in our arguments using the facts, point out glaring errors and generally say "nope"! Both are allowed, and both are healthy, and the best thing that can happen is when everyone is kind and polite and respectful about it.
(I've published a few things with embarrassing errors, and I hope to do so again, because (a) it taught me something, and (b) the readers who corrected me were really awesome about it. Correcting someone graciously when they're wrong, in a way that doesn't make them feel ashamed for making the mistake, is such a great and kind skill, and I wish it was taught at school because it's never been more needed.)
It's all about daring to put yourself out there.. And taking a few risks along the way. If you don't try, you never make mistakes but you also never learn or achieve anything..
So true, Mike.
I do love a graceful correction. And I love respectful disagreements too. I vote for more of both!
Yes, I had one of those recently. It was a drag, but also a learning experience. People like that won’t care how many citations you use if they aren’t “the right” (in their worldview) citations. Heck, people like that might even say a person doesn’t have “the right ph.d” or whatever credential they think matters. It reminds me of the history of religion, when only the religious class was allowed to read the Bible.
Totally agree with what you said: it doesn’t take a huge effort to study and grow yourself.
The 'what makes you think you can speak on this' critique usually comes from inside my own head. LOL
And I'd say, there's no reason you can't speak on it. In fact by speaking you put thoughts to words and that's how I've learned the most and become a bit of an expert on topics I had no formal training. Deciding to speak often is the best way to develop the credentials to speak.
One of my favorite quotes is "The last step of learning is teaching." So when I've learned, I try to share that lesson with others then move on to my next lesson.
So good.
Yes! That's smart. And there's science on this: https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/blog/how-to-be-brilliant/201206/the-protege-effect
Thanks, Mike! I don't know how you know all the things, but I'm so glad you do!
I hadn't heard that. I have heard it said in medicine that first you see one, then you do one, then you teach one. Felt like not quite enough for me (given they work on living human bodies). I like yours better!
I am growing into this realization and gaining more confidence. I've had a largely made-up self-taught career which leads to frequent Imposter Syndrome moments. But more and more I'm experiencing "Hey, I actually know some shit," moments, which is a great feeling.
"Hey, I actually know some shit," moments are the very best moments!
Imposter syndrome is a much better problem to have than the Dunning Kruger effect!
I had that with a piece I wrote which I’d consider “soft tech”. I twisted myself in knots before I finally published it.
I almost let that "bad faith reader" show up when I was writing my latest post. Thankfully, I didn't. It's not a post for everyone, but there are people out there who needed it. Glad I pushed through and published.
Fwiw, I’m glad you did too. It was pretty moving- and I don’t get moved very often!
Thanks, Kevin. It's been six years since Lamin's deliverance, and I was finally able to tell the world a small slice of his story.
This is so uncanny, and I'm happy to have words put to this phenomenon -- I've drafted dozens of essays that are low-key in response to critics or critical voices, and I can never seem to finish them. I think my sub conscience knows it's attempting to write to the wrong audience. I appreciate being able to name this and bring more awareness to my writing practice.
I've had a similar experience. It's like I'm processing my emotions as I write them. But I don't realise it's more of a private journal entry than a sharable bit of writing.
I have also been working really hard to not respond to the critics that live in my brain. Sometimes I type out the whole thought, the "who cares and why should you be talking about this" and then I edit it out and tell myself, to say what I mean and make interesting! It helps me to just say it. I picture one or two people who I know truly like what I write and then I carry on. But then edit, edit, edit!!
YES, this is so important. I wrote about Bad Faith Readers a couple of weeks ago too. You can't let them ruin your artistic practice for you.
the best example of this, in my opinion, is Heather Cox Richardson with Letter from an American. She scrupulously lists at the end of each (daily!) post her sources. It makes everything she says just that much more credible. And honors her sources too.
Such great advice, Mike. I think the beauty of a subscriber base is that I begin to think of them as friends who have accepted my invitation, and here they are! The few who creep in to criticize don't last long. I either block them, because I don't want them in my parlor, or they get bored and leave on their own.
I lose subscribers now and then, when I write something controversial, but that's okay. I wouldn't expect everyone to hang around for every conversation, anyway.
My imagined reader is nodding, smiling just an little, and saying, “Omg… SAME.” 🤣
Makes me feel better about hitting publish.
Oooh yes. I'm going to adopt this.
I love this.
Good point, Mike!
AMEN!
Thanks, Mike, for this. I'll admit I sometimes let that bad faith reader in and it can influence me. I write a about potentially upsetting subjects so I am always trying to walk the line of informative content, my own personal view, while not upsetting anyone - haha, I just saw that and I see why it can make me feel overwhelmed at times!
Yes to writing for my most enthusiastic reader!
Excellent! I'm copying this for a constant reminder. I've moved away from providing quotes to paraphrasing and crediting the source with a name and link.
brilliant advice
How much can a Substack stack, if a Substack could stack subs?
(Answer for paid subscribers only!)
LOL
😂. Recently LOLed when I learned about the platform Swapstack, which is essentially a platform for Substacks to advertise in other Substacks. Fodder for your next rhyme...
Is that for real?
yes...sigh: https://www.swapstack.co/
This made my day.
😆
❤️❤️🔥🔥🤣
I noticed you changed the text under the option to enter email subscribe to “no thanks “ from “let me read it first “ I find that unfortunate
YES YES YES -- please change it back to "let me read it first"
+1 This has been mentioned before, and I was hoping Substack would reconsider. Thanks for bringing it up again. I know they're listening.
I think there have been conversations on here recently about how negative "No thanks" sounds, and what people really want to do is read some of what a writer has to say before they subscribe. I believe that's the rationale for the change, which seems pretty sound to me.
exactly
Exciting to see Substack continue to poke at the fiction and book communities. It's already hugely active, of course, but there's so much more potential there. As a writing-focused platform, Substack is the perfect venue for fiction writers. I'm using it to write and serialise my new stories, which I'll then collect into an anthology as an ebook and paperback. Having the support of readers and paid subscribers is incredible.
I have encountered an active and hugely supportive bunch of fellow writers here in a year and a half. Far more than I have in the previous decade+ on social media. Thanks, Substack!
I have definitely encountered so many more supportive writers on Substack than anywhere else on the internet in a long time, probably since the fall of Tumblr! So grateful to have found this space.
When did Tumblr fall?
I agree! Well said, Simon!
I'm a personal essay/ poetry writer but I've been going round and round about starting to tell my stories through fiction instead. I've never been a big plot writer, though! How do you feel about having an essayist suddenly throw in a piece of fiction on the same subject. Would that be fun engaging? Maybe a could crowd source ideas for a plot to tie my smaller stories and moments together!
I think fiction has as unique capability to illuminate ideas, and can complement essays. They can support each other.
Also, plot is overrated: https://simonkjones.substack.com/p/use-themes-like-a-compass
Thank you for the link! This is just what I was fishing for!
Simon, I wanted to ask you about Fictionistas. I tried to contact your group, but the Contact button doesn't work. I won't go into it on this thread, but I wanted to ask if the group would be interested in letting your readers know about my Substack, Serialize, where I help writers serialize their novels or memoirs: www.serialize.substack.com. You can contact me here: mssarahfay1516@gmail.com. Thanks, and sorry to all for disrupting the thread!
No probs, we're looking into why that contact button isn't working. I'd suggest dropping by at the next monthly office hours and saying hello!
Will do! Thanks. As a serializer yourself, you might like to read posts where we delve into the literary history of serialization. On Tuesday, we’ll be looking at the difference between chapters and installments/episodes using the 1939 serialization of Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None as a model. (In addition to an M.F.A. in creative writing, I have a PhD in English and geek out on literary archives.) We’ll look at the serialization of Joyce’s Ulysses too!
🙌🙌🔥🔥❤️
I have no question to ask, post to plug or opinion to proffer other than to say that Substack is great and I’m glad that it exists as both a writer and a reader...
Same, Thomas. It really is such a special place online these days. I've completely burned out on regular social media. It's so nice to read depth of thought from so many different voices. So fun and refreshing! I love it!
I keep telling everyone this! It's funny how many of my friends and family had not known of it at all! Worlds within worlds and so much to explore!
This means that this is only just the beginning and we are lucky to have gotten in as early as we have.
I had the same thought just yesterday!
I keep thinking this too! Not many people in my world know of Substack. I started writing n it the same month that I found out it existed! Which was only November last year!
this guy rules
No u
bro i'll kick ur ***
🥰😘
🙌
I am glad too! Thankful for Substack!!
Hello Substack community! I have been writing on here fairly consistently for about 1.5 years and I've done all the things I frequently see here about how to grow subscriber count including reaching out to other writers about collabs *crickets*, commenting on other people's writing, trying The Sample and none of it seems to work. Luckily I just enjoy writing and my audience is small but super engaged so it's nice to hear some feedback but Idk it's really tough and it seems like substack could do more to promote UNKNOWN writers as the writers I always see promoted have large followings on other platforms or are already famous from something else they do. For now I'm just gonna keep showing up but it would be nice if something worked one day.
I agree Lula. Substack (most platforms for that matter) promote people already big on the platform.
It would be great for some promotion to unknown writers, as getting from 10-20 is the hard part, not necessarily 1,000-2,000.
Hear hear!
That seems to be the publishing model in general. To promote people who are already successful for the most part. It’s hard to break through. It would be lovely if substack would promote some of the newer or smaller accounts too. There’s some great work out there.
I'm actually relieved to hear people on this office hours saying this out loud. Because Substack mostly promotes the "I've grown to a billion subscribers in just three months!" type of testimonials. My Substack (called Be Your Own Hero, about being brave in small moments https://louisejulig.substack.com) has a little over 200 subscribers and I've been posting about every 5 weeks for two years. What has helped me the most is after every post I think of five people I know who might be interested in that particular post and I personally invite them to subscribe. Oh and all my subscriptions are free at this point. I have gotten some sign-ups from a few Substacks that recommend me (and I recommend them as well) but I'm kind of picky about how many I recommend, so I don't have that many who also do in return. I also post my links to Instagram and Facebook, which nets me a few subscribers each time. Really, I don't know any magic trick. Wish I did!
I’d just say it takes time, commitment, and consistency. I’m in the same boat and I just have to do my thing and see who wants to join me.
I agree. I've been here for about 4 months now and I find it comes in spurts. There will be a week where a few new subscribers come on board and then nothing for a week. It's how it goes. The only thing we have control over is our own outputs and consistency and showing up for the people who have subscribed and are reading and engaging with the work.
Precisely. And even the big names were small time at one point.
Are you part of any writer communities? I think it might be helpful to shake things up if they are feeling stale.
If you’d like, you can join The Editor’s Galley where I share about my work as a developmental editor (someone who works on manuscripts and refining writing concepts) and I host AMAs where folks can ask questions and get specific feedback on their writing / editing / publishing.
Sounds great! Is there a link to this?
Hi there 👋🏼
This is the post I sent to my free subscribers this week.
https://open.substack.com/pub/whatlittleiknow/p/heres-to-more-writers-getting-book?r=4i32v&utm_medium=ios&utm_campaign=post
Ok Amanda will check it out
I’m with you. I’ve never been able to grow on any social media platform. Someone tell me what the magic solution is!
Being commercial and writing click bait but I just can't stomach that.
What kind of collabs would you be interested in?
Hello fellow writers. Hope you are well today, and I'd to share some thoughts.
Lots of people say you should stay the course, that is: keep at it. Good advice, but “keep at it” doesn’t mean a schedule dictated by what others say is best. Find your own rhythm, whatever it may be. Straight time, odd time, jazz, Afro-Cuban. Hell, even disco. Up to you.
Stay true to yourself. In an environment of metrics and number chasing, it’s important to remember that numbers are a game that you aren’t obliged to play. Substack encourages it, but I say write because it’s something you must do, not for the scoreboard of external fabricated validation. I also advocate:
Write as artistic expression, not to satisfy a perceived demand.
Don’t publish only safe and acceptable pieces. Take risks.
Subscribe / recommend / etc. from true enjoyment and interest, not in hope of reciprocity.
Ignore stats. Delete the next-day stats email without opening.
Personally, I remind myself that I can control my work / schedule but that I can’t control the reaction of others. Exterior reactions / decisions are out of my hands.
If any of this resonates, great. If not, that's fine too. My main wish is that people chart their own waters. That’s where we find true satisfaction and beauty.
This has been such a great experience for me that I really can't believe it some days. I have found that my subscriber list keeps growing, slow but steady, and to me that is just fine. But it is the outlet of having this space to share my thoughts on what I read and how it relates to our world that is just simply priceless.
My growth has been stagnant, but I'm hoping to use the book to help both things grow. We'll see. Sometimes it's hard to be hopeful for my writing dreams, but reading Big Magic certainly helped me put my creative dreams into a reasonable perspective.
I absolutely love that book! I have only had a trickle of new subscribers but I did start with a pretty big list. Part of my reason for switching from Mailchimp to Substack was to grow my audience and hope that people who are interested in Dreams and writing will find me.
But yes, Elizabeth Gilbert is a great inspiration.
I think what hit me (at the age of 43 with a teaching career and family and big dreams) was this idea that I should create because I NEED to create for me, not for my primary income. The fact that she truly believes that, had it not been for Eat Pray Love, she would still be working a second job. Would I love for my self-published book to hit it big? YES!!! But I can't pin my hopes and dreams and financial security to it. I published the book because I wanted my kids to have a written piece of their history. I'm working on my next book for the same reason. I want to make money, but the amount of money is a bonus to having a written record to pass along.
I agree. I think I was hoping I could make some kind of income from my writing - though I found out early on from courses, videos, and the such, that it's very hard to make money off one's first book. It's usual 3rd or 4th - and then the backlist sells. I didn't want to believe it but.... Also, my book has just come out and I'm just getting into a groove with marketing - I can say my outlay far exceed royalties right now. But I'm learning tons. I'm 61 and was fighting ageism in the workplace -- another reason I went full time writing. No one would hire me! Even during covid, I read that women over 50 or so aren't getting hired - even with all the job openings. I won't ever retire, but I never understood how bad ageism was. I was hoping writing would get around it. Well - let's see where we both are a year from now!....
I hope this doesn't change, but I appreciate that Substack is a writing COMMUNITY. Most of us aren't competing against each other. We're working together to help each other find and keep our audiences. I think I'm going to be more intentional moving forward with cross-posting. That seems to be a good next step, especially since I'm avoiding FB and Twitter has become a shit-show.
oh - maybe I should get that book. I'm where you are....
If you haven't read it yet, I HIGHLY recommend it. Based on you most recent writing and concerns I think it would really speak to you in this present moment.
Oh, thanks! I'm going to order it now.
Some really good advice here, and things I'm trying to regularly remember. I'm working on taking more risks (but doing so with paid subscriptions) and I'm TRYING to ignore the stats. It's so hard because we've been trained to believe that numbers=validation, but that's not true. Do I want to grow? Yes, but I also want to make sure that I have authentic readers who WANT to read my stuff.
That's a very good point, Sarah. "Authentic readers" is a beautiful way of putting it. We want to grow, and real readers on the journey are the way to go.
RISK: YES!!!!!! 🔥🔥🔥🤘🤘❤️
Excellent advice. And because I love extended metaphors... disco bassists are amazing musicians so there is nuance and texture to what people think is corny or boilerplate. You know your scene. Dig in.
The taking risks part... scary but necessary.
Dear Substack: new functionality request: Two other writers and I are doing a collaboration piece this Sunday. We all have slightly different paid models and prices and explored ways to bundle subscriptions (e.g., subscribe to all three of us and get XX% off). Unfortunately that functionality isn't available, but we think it could be a strong value add for writers and for Substack.
Would love to see what the team can come up with here. Thanks!
👋 I am here to ask for an encouragement.
Last week I’ve been contemplating to give up. To stop writing.
To stop building a life out of my passions. To decide for comfort and flexibility, rather than meaning.
To then receive support and kind words from many fellow writers.
From Winston and Dave. From Wendy and Laura. From Mike to Ed.
So, thanks for being here. All new encouragements are welcome. 🙏
And feel free to drop a like, or a word, in the short article below.
It has been written to acknowledge to honour this moment.
https://livmkk.substack.com/p/on-giving-up
I think everyone goes through this stage. Though I also want to say that a life of comfort and flexibility is not something to scoff your nose at. The startup/writer culture tells us that we must keep pursuing our passion at the cost of going hungry and that’s simply not true.
You can do both. 3 years ago I gave up on trying to grow my catering business and got a boring job in comms. A new business idea found me again and now I’m doing both things slowly.
Slow is just as good as fast :) choose what makes most sense for you right now.
But keep writing whenever you can. The world needs your words
I really struggle with the idea that slow can be good.
While, if I look inside, I truly know that I have no alternative to going slower.
My body and mind demands rest and kindness.
I wish I can give myself the time for things to evolve.
Which probably, in my case, means to get a job that gives me stability, hopefully part time, while I develop the rest in parallel.
I'm where you are Livio. I won't give up wrting books, but I'm wondering if I can keep my substack going. And I've been lucky to be able to write full time for a couple years, but I've started to think about doing things that get me paid and not sit around hoping a subscriber will join or someone will by my book. So, you are not alone. I hear you.
Which type of things that get you paid you are thinking about?
Well, just to complicate my life, a friend and I are pitching a festival for creatives - very early stages but we're almost done the sponsor deck. I won't do it unless we raise enough to pay ourselves - so we'll see. I can't work in an office anymore (if you read my book or what it's about, you'll understand....) I have an LLC - I wasn't able to get consulting gigs during covid which is what prompted me to go full time with writing (and I had savings). I used to organize events, so I'm going to try again.... I can't do writing gigs because I do too much writing as it is - I think something like a festival would use other parts of my brain....
I give you all my support to survive and thrive, from downtime to revitalization, inspiration, and growth. I recently published a piece about identity and perspective, relating to an early part of my career when I lost my way and needed much support to get back on track. I was emotionally abused and traumatized by the head of a department that left me stunned and discouraged. Perhaps he was one of my best teachers. https://www.inmindwise.com/p/the-power-of-identity-and-perspective
Sometimes taking a step back is worth it. Rest your mind and heart. It can be hard to keep going when things seem pointless. This may be a bad moment, but not a bad choice. Come back when you’re ready.
I've been writing on Substack for sometime, but just this week I launched my first podcast episode!
https://joewrote.substack.com/p/podcast-interview-with-an-anonymous#details
I'm brand new to podcasting, so I'd love any feedback on the episode, or tips & tricks, suggestions, and things you wish you knew when you started podcasting on Substack. Anything is appreciated!
Mic quality, audio balance, and a snappy intro.
I use a nice USB mic, I use Audacity for capture and editing. But I'm not doing a traditional podcast, I'm doing voice-overs of my essays.
Thirding (?) Audacity, especially for noise reduction. If you find there's a hiss in the background of your podcast (very common) Audacity makes that so easy to edit out. Here's a video on how: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TXHxlk4izdQ&ab_channel=ThePodcastHost
Since I have a partner and we record separately while we are on calls to each other, I've had to do this more times than I can count.
Thanks Valerie, just do it right!
Audacity rocks. On a side note, I heard crackle on the music in the intro, but I took that to be vinyl which I thought was super cool. :)
I've done one of these! It was really fun but I didn't keep up. I think a nice mic would make a big difference. (obviously(
Agreed to all of this. I also use Audacity for recording and editing.
Hi Michael, I considered doing a voice change thing for a private substack. Can you tell me more about your voiceover process?
My second Substack started as primarily a podcast (litthinkpodcast.substack.com) and we added blog posts to our content. Be consistent with posting new episodes but don't feel the pressure to do it EVERY week. Do what works for you and give your listeners something to look forward to :-)
Here's a funny question. Can you talk about that moment when you decided to buy the equipment to go for the podcast. You know? What did that moment feel like and what did you buy?
Terrifying and exciting because I knew I was spending money on something that was probably NOT going to make me money. We still aren't getting paid for our creative work, but we believe in it.
Agreed. Every week is hard--I do every other week. Unruly Figures would have to be my full time job for me to do an episode every week.
I finally decided to not listen to the "experts" on this when I realized that I listen to FAR too many podcasts and I can't get all of them in during the week.
Oh for sure! This has been my favorite thing about the new analytics on Substack--I can see that most people don't listen the same day I post. They listen 15 days later, or 30 days, or whatever. And I'm the same way. I let posts from a podcast pile up then binge them.
I just launched my podcast at Huskybleu this last week too! This was going to be my exact question, thank you for posting it. The comments about audio quality and editing are definitely appreciated. I got myself a decent microphone that really helps me not sound like I’m in a bowling alley doing a recording!
Does anyone have any tutorial suggestions that really helped them? Thanks in advance for all the great advice!
Elea
I have a question about the podcast thing too. What I wanna do is just add audio to some of my posts so I can read a poem out loud. I don’t need a whole podcast set up for that do I? I’m hoping to find a simple easy way to do it.
I wrote a long comment to you and it disappeared. Doh.. To recap... Well done! Loved the music, production and content.
Congrats on your first podcast episode! I think it sounds great. Both voices sound really clear. I think one thing that could be cool is putting time codes below for when you and your guest talk about specificing things. Like at "10:00: Discussions of guest's personal experiencing working in a unionized Starbucks." (I say this fully knowing that I don't do it and it's a lot of work. But I know people like it!)
Thanks Valorie! That's a great point, something I'll definitely work in for the future.
Yes Joe, considered podcast myself or just adding narration. I guess you just jumped in and did it. How are your #'s
I already had a good mic and audio interface but oddly enough, just used voice memos for recording. I was often doing it alone at night or even before work and the interface was easier for me to record over parts I didn’t like and clip the video. I might explore Garage Band when I get some time.
one question for substack team and one question for everyone:
1. This is so minor but might y'all ever be able to make comments collapseable in the app like they are in web? I find that collapsing comments is sorta the key for me to be able to navigate comment threads, without it I get overwhelmed panic and throw my phone out the window.
2. Raffle giveaways -- anyone have experience w them? I have some t-shirts that are dope and some of my readers have been asking about, so I was thinking of doing something like 'anyone who becomes a paid sub in the next week gets entered into a tshirt raffle or something' idk. If anyone knows how to do this plz do let me know thank you
I don't know how to do a raffle, but My Sweet Dumb Brain gives away stickers to new paid subscribers...https://mysweetdumbbrain.substack.com/about
dang that's cool hi Rae how are you
I use Substack on the web from my phone for office hours for exactly this ability to collapse comments! I agree that would be really helpful to have this feature in the app, because I also love my dark mode!
This sounds like Patreon Special Offers. Look it up for ideas and preparation tips. https://blog.patreon.com/running-a-special-offer-pre-launch-and-prep
Yes! I’d love to collapse replies and edit comments on the app too.
Haha, these comments are not only driving you crazy! You made my day!
I always find it interesting to talk to someone I haven't heard from in ages and to hear how much they enjoy what I write and how they read it constantly. That's the best thing to keep me going even if it feels like the needle isn't moving that fast.
Part of me just wishes they'd hit that heart button too! :)
Duplicate to drafts is AMAZING! Thank you!
yes! Saves a ton of time. Wish there was a way to save as a template though as well
Yes, a template would be really nice. I'm kinda surprised that it doesn't already exist.
SECONDING. This has been a life saver.
Yes Sarah, I have just started using the duplicate feature. Had a system of my own using drafts to coordinate themes and Titles. How have you been using the feature?
Just wanted to say that the Substack Letters function/feature/format is quite cool!
If you want to have a fun exchange with some other author you want, give it a go.
For example, Mark Dykeman and Julia Falatko are having an exchange about the impact of childhood experiences on the creative work that they do as adults: https://howaboutthis.substack.com/p/on-process-and-place-letter-2-mark
And myself and Alicia Kenworthy (https://catalectic.substack.com/) have launched our own Two Person Book Club:
Letter 1 - https://fictitious.substack.com/p/two-person-book-club-letter-1
Letter 2 - https://catalectic.substack.com/p/two-person-book-club-letter-2
It's fun :)
Ooooooo, i like this concept!
Yes!! I'm having so much fun with this exchange, Oleg.
Very cool!
Sounds great Oleg how's it work? Just click the link?
Here it is: the spirit of partnership!🙂
Just published my first Substack column on the science, psychology, social context, and practice of embodiment. Would love any suggestions on list growth in these industries. Thanks in advance, and gratitude for the amazing Substack community!
Hi Bo! I'm so glad you're here! In my experience, the wellness/health/mindfulness community here on Substack is thriving. If I were you, I would engage with other writers in the field, here, and maybe even cultivate some collaborations or do some cross-posting. And regardless, stay consistent and keep going! More than anything, I've seen my consistency rewarded. I hope that helps! 🌿
Thank you for the encouragement and the suggestion!
Knowing when our fav writers post would be great then we could comment in real time. Whatdoya think S.E
It's nice to see how people help each other! Thank you for being!
Bo!!! Thrilled to see you here, my heart is shimmering with joy! 💜
Dionne!!! You were actually a major inspiration for me to be on Substack! At some point, you said how much you loved the platform and offered much magical encouragement. Thank you!
Welcome 🙏
Thank you!
I welcome you to this site! I hope everything works out for you!
Hi everyone: I'm struggling to get into the Substack networking game. The fact that I'm even calling it a "game" says it all. I'm generally internet-averse (like many writers, perhaps?) and Substack is the first platform I could bring myself to engage with. Even so, I'm struggling. It often feels disingenuous to like and comment when the goal in the back of my mind is getting more subscribers.
At the same time, I genuinely do want to meet other writers and have a community. I see others on Substack building what seem like genuine connections that transcend personal interest, but I am blocked by my own suspicion of all things growth-hack-y.
Anyone else in this boat? How are you dealing with it?
I take a mindful minute before jumping in, and even spend some time out in the quiet of nature beforehand. Then, I only engage with posts and comments I really resonate with. This has been a good strategy for me. Not high volume, by any means, but genuine.
Yes, it's gotta be genuine or I feel slimy! Thanks for the advice!
it feels like a dance on the first day of high school where no one knows each other and so everyone is nervous and weird and awkward and most people really wanna make connections but everyone is scared and then there are weirdos who are like SCREAMING about their stuff and they make everyone else wince a lil bit
but in that situation, going up to another kid and saying hi almost never ends badly, especially cuz i think most everyone gives everyone else the benefit of the doubt, even in spite of the kids yelling why are they yelling they need to stop
Sorry, I couldn't hear you over the din, can you repeat that?
Yep. Same boat, different oar. Be authentic. Write what you want, engage with others you enjoy, subscribe to pubs you have time to handle and a real interest. Ask yourself if you're about to do a a game move. If yes, resist the impulse. If not, onward to genuine connections.
Yes, there's a game afoot and Substack encourages it, but you're not obliged to participate.
Yes, love this, "ask yourself if you're going to do a game move, and don't" :)
My advice is just always stay genuine. No need to pretend to like writing you don't like. Try following lots of Substackers, don't be afraid to unsubscribe if the writing doesn't resonate with you, and when you encounter writing you love, go all out commending and praising the writer, recommending them, and helping them build up their own subscriber base.
Your tactic seems extremely effective. But don't you think that you should not indiscriminately subscribe to everything, but still approach this more legibly?
Well, there's no way to assess our personal response to a Substack writer's writing until we subscribe and check it out.
Nice comment. I think everybody struggles with this. I do somehow feel better about Substack networking than networking in other forums - in part because everybody's in the same boat here and everybody gets it. Just about everybody is a writer, everybody is a bit shy about networking but knows that it has to be done, and networking here is more genuine than in other venues in life - because you tend to reach out to people whose work you sincerely are interested in/admire.
Totally - we are indeed all in the same boat. And I agree with you that I feel like the Substack version of this networking is a bit of a lesser evil. Shy and sincere writers unite :)
I love Office Hours but when exactly is 'starting time'? Is it 1 PM EST, or is it more than an hour earlier, when more than 100 comments are already on the page? I'm not exactly a stickler for promptness but isn't this a bit of a free-for-all now?
As much as I want to, and as much as I get out of this, I can't possibly keep up when, by 'starting time', there are already hundreds of conversations taking place.
Just saying...
Ramona, were you the publisher of "Indelible Ink"? If so, you were the first to publish a piece of mine on Medium about 2 years ago!
Yes, I was. I remember! Nice to see you here!
You as well. Thank you for being the first person to give me a chance outside of the world of school. I have been having a ball finding my style as I continue to write.
That's so good to hear! I've just subscribed to your newsletter. If you feel the need for some interaction with a nice, knowledgeable writing community, feel free to join us at Writer Everlasting.
https://writereverlasting.substack.com/
It was my honor to subscribe! Thank you--I am excited to read this! Thank you for your newsletter subscription.
Great! And welcome!
I think 1 pm EST is when the Substack team is in the chat, if you want to try to catch it when they're here. But you can post and come back as soon as the thread goes live.
I'm similarly confused :(
I believe we're all welcome to post comments when the link goes up, but the Substack administrators are only here from 1-2 pm EST.
Yes Romona, I thought the substack team joined at 10am but seems all other already on earlier like 8am.
What are genuine ways to share your newsletter without feeling like you're constantly promoting it? I don't want my followers on other social media to feel overwhelmed or annoyed by constant promotion.
Right now I share a tweet or Instagram story whenever a newsletter goes out twice a week. I fear promoting more would annoys followers but I don't know how else to grow.
Share it on your social platforms every time you publish a new edition of your newsletter. Don't worry about annoying those who follow you on socials, you won't. Content there is driven by algorithm, so only a small percentage of those who follow you will actually see each 'promotion' post you make.
Sites not driven by algorithm, Reddit for example are different, so you don't want to over promote there, but Twitter and Insta, promote with wild abandon on your timeline.
Thanks so much, some great advice!
Thanks Cameron, just started with Reddit. Jumped back onto Twitter as well and Mastodon and Post in between. Mastodon sign in tricky through. FB posts disappear ie story boards. Over promotion no such a thing only know it when someone responds good or bad but by that time we just maybe too big to care 😊 I know we are afraid of over tipping our hand or whatever but that's the eggs ya gotta crack
Thanks for the advice.👍
Hi, I don't send all my posts out via email, I just have them on my Substack page under one of the sections such as Blog, Music and then if appropriate I'll link to them from my newsletters. I don't feel that every post I write needs to be sent to someone else's inbox!
E.Scott, wow, this might be why i have been dragging my feet to 'publish', for fear of overwhelming inboxes every time I post. Thanks for this info!
Oh that's great! I'm new to substack so I thought that all posts had to be emails since substack is for newsletters. That's good to know though if I ever want to create certain posts that don't need to be newsletters. Thank you!
Instresting E.Scott, tell more about how you are using your sections limited email send outs
I struggle with this. Right now I am thinking of doind IG stories/twitter threads about whatever my newsletter's topic is that week with a link to the newsletter at the end
I just started using twitter threads. I think it might be a way to not clog up peoples timelines? Stories are great because they don't last long but sometimes I feel even that clogs up my stories.
Though I've not found abundant opportunities to do so, most folks recommend posting your pieces where the content relates to some other post or conversation. If you write about pizza, you share that post to a thread somewhere else that has to do with creative dinner ideas. Or, something along those lines. I also launched IG and FB pages under my Stack name and am slowly building a following there (operative word: s l o w l y). I also spread out the sharing. Since most of my views come from email, I wait a few days to share as social posts. Later still, I might share as a story or reel, with an "in case you missed it" hashtag. Finally, be bold. Mention your newsletter any chance you get. For me, that's still super awkward, but I'm getting a little better. Hope this helps some.
Thanks, it does help!
So, the follow-on question for me, as someone whose Stack isn't uber targeted to a specific topic, is how to find places where content is relevant without having to spend too much time stalking social media platforms. There are some ideas in this thread, which I appreciate.
Welcome to Substack! I’m still figuring this out myself, but in my experience the best way to grow is internally within Substack. Posting your question here is a perfect start! I’m sure you’ll get some subscribers :) Also, connect with other Substack writers. Engage in their comments section with substantive responses. Excited to learn more about your newsletter!!
I've found this to be true. Stackers tend to support other Stackers. An aside, isn't it adorable how we create abbreviated versions of so many names? Here, we're "subbies" or "Stackers." My folks are "Scratchers" or "Scratch Fam." Some day, maybe I'll print up some Guk-Guk t-shirts. Just subscribed, Jillian. I'm a note taker and note leaver, so I look forward to reading.
Yes--I've noticed that too! Perhaps I should join the fun and call my readers "noters" or something. It's not quite as cute as Scratch Fam though :)
Thank you so much for subscribing!!
Sometimes showing up as yourself helps. Reading, liking, and commenting do it.
Yeah Study, it's all about who ya know and time spent 'engaging' I once said that FB was the 'boring following the mondane' and just jumped off. Instagram same gotta spend the time. There are other media platforms to try but gotta find your crowd
Just wanted to come on and say that I am having so much fun working on my newsletter and, just this week, publishing my first ever podcast episodes to go with it. I didn’t know that I would ever find a way to talk about my love of stories and books that didn’t feel like totally shouting into an empty, angry void. Substack has helped empower my confidence and let me have fun just trying the damn thing out and unbelievably, making me think I could make a real go of this.
Thank you for creating such a wonderful place for a community of creative people to be and enjoy. I’m so grateful and excited!!
Elea from Huskybleu. ❤️
We're so grateful to have you here Elea :) I'm very happy to hear you've been enjoying it!
I just wanted to wish you all a wonderful rest of the week! I know this is how we really connect with each other before commenting is closed so Hiiii!! 💖
I know a lot is going on but together through the community here, sharing our stories connects us and we can get through anything! Thanks for Substack creating this great platform. Rockstars! Yeah we’re all Rockstars! 😁
❤️❤️❤️🤘
Delenda est Carthago! Translate the U.I.. O can helo with the portuguese. We are losing paid subscribers because of the only-english U.I.
Considered posting in different language Christian. Are you saying that isn't possible with Substack platform??
What are you saying? I do post in portuguese. My complain is about the U.I. Most of the brazilian people does not understand english. So, when they face an U.I. they can´t understand, of course they will not proceed to payment. And even if they do, they will not feel comfortable with settings and everything else.
That's great Christian, I just meant I wanted the option to post to the French community
HEY SUBSTACK: Wondering if there is or will be a way to track traffic for individual posts over time, like a line graph or something.
Hello! I’m curious about ways to promote my substack without social media. I left social media in 2021, for my mental health, and I don’t want to go back. But I also don’t want my substack to languish.
I'm having the same dilemma! I haven't had social media for several years- I think maybe networking within substack and/or areas where whatever you're writing about might come up.
It’s a quandary, isn’t it? I’m just realizing there is a bit of networking available within substack. I’m also considering make posters with something catchy and odd and hanging them around. The old fashion way!
Include a call to action asking your readers to forward this email to a friend. You can even say you don't like social media shares and prefer email forwards. Include a note like 'if this message has been forwarded to you subscribe to my newsletter here". You will do the wording better. Just gear your newsletter to forwards instead of shares.
I definitely think it’s possible to grow without social media. It just takes a different set of muscles. Substack is a helpful tool for growth ( show up at Office Hours and comment on posts regularly ). Otherwise I would focus on meeting people in real life and having as many conversations as you can about your Substack. Look for events and meetups, chat up your barista and your grocery clerk, etc. And carry business cards!
“A different set of muscles.” That’s a good way to think of it! I’m working on in person conversations about my work. For one, I realized I need to not use the term Substack because I think a lot of people don’t know what that is still. But then, as I mentioned to another commenter, I write about a subject that is sadly something which people struggle to talk about: menstrual cycles and fertility awareness. But I think that taboo needs to be smashed. So I really will be living out my mission by chatting up baristas about it! 😄🤞
Ha! I think that’s a good plan! I would have a lot of respect for anyone who was up for a public discussion of fertility issues in the coffee shop. Literally every woman has thoughts on the topic.
Indeed. Women and more people besides. And then there’s also all sorts of people who have a lot of difficulty talking about it, which is really why I’m writing about it.
As an indecisive writer, occasionally I'll change the title of a post after it's been scheduled. Unfortunately, the URL wants to keep the original title, creating a bit of a mismatch between the post and its web address. Is there a way to change the url after scheduling and prior to posting to show the updated title? Thank you for your help!
I have done this and it's very easy and painless. You can edit the post URL in the settings area. It will give you warnings that you're doing something cuh-raaazy but it works and I don't think you even need to take the post down.
Yes, the "cuh-raaazy" warnings may have deterred me the one time I attempted this. 😂 I'll start with an older post that no one is looking for and see if anything blows up. Thank you!
thank you Meg for your humor ~ dragging feet to do first publishing and am researching the heck outta how to go back and change things - oivey!
Yes, it’s in settings. When publishing my most recent post, I noticed they added a new SEO title to that section so it should be even easier to find than before.
Eek! Thank you for pointing that out! That is going to be HUGE. (But also cause a lot of work for me as I will feel the need to go through all of my old pieces to work on SEO optimization for the description).
Thank you. I'll go tinker. 🛠️
Thanks! I was wondering this too!
You can also un-schedule if you need to and make other changes. I do it all the time.
Indeed! But I discovered that the old title still sticks in the url after I reschedule, even when internal changes to the post have gone through seamlessly. It's sneaky. 😊
oh i have a lil story about my first real experience with being trolled - so the other day I wrote a piece about how I can't handle my son's crying - https://botharetrue.substack.com/p/i-cannot-handle-my-sons-crying.
it was meant to be a peek into how parenting feels for someone with what the doctors call adhd and ocd. Anyways, on Substack everyone was so kind in the comments full of love and genuine good spirit etc.
The essay also made its way to the Internet where it was Shared on a forum that is similar to but not called Reddit. And boy oh boy the comments there!! They really said some mean shit and it caught me by surprise and made me sad and angry. I told my friends about it and they were like "um...dude it sounds like you're describing what its like to write something on the internet."
to which I replied "yea but not on Substack!!"
at which point I realized that Substack is a strange oasis of good humans and kind vibes in a sea of toxic douchmonkeys (respectfully), and for that I am eternally grateful.
Oh man, do you have misophonia? I always dread maybe having a kid someday because of having it.
i think I might?? Many people have asked me that since publishing this piece...my ears are always sorta...ringing - is that part of it?
Also hi!! I saw you emailed me a super nice email and I have it on my list to reply to and I will very soon
Hi, Alex! Ringing is tinnitus, which I think is more associated with hearing damage (I have it too, it's pretty common I think). Misophonia is having a very visceral, overwhelming response to certain sounds that's often accompanied by feelings of fight/flight or rage/disgust. It has a fairly high comorbidity with ADHD. It is quite unpleasant, I must say! I have to always keep ear plugs on me or I'll really struggle out there in the world. Love your newsletter btw!
ooooh yeah sounds like i have both haha and yea several people recommended some nice earplugs called Loops that I bought so i'm excited to give those a shot!
Does anyone have the experience of two completely separate Substacks? I've been contemplating a second one with my fiction, essays, and more. I would want it to be on its own. Thoughts?
Me! Me! 😁 I asked the team before I tried it to be sure I could. I use two web browsers to switch between one account and the other. It’s the only drawback of having two separate accounts. Having two publications within one account felt too complicated and confusing for subscribers.
I use Edge for my newsletters and other social media, and Chrome for everything else. It seems to work best for me.
Hey Katie and Substack! ✌️ Please allow us to “switch accounts” from the app for CHAT and browser to do everything else. It really is necessary to keep us from using different browsers to stay logged in for our accounts but for chat when mobile, two browsers are not a good idea, especially on IOS. Thank you! 🙏 Also begging. LOL
Yes, the two will be so different. I already have a "workshopping" section within my Unschool, for paid only folks.
And they both connect with your Stripe account, I'm guessing?
Sounds interesting can you explain Susy? 😊
Hi De! If you have more than one account on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter for example, you can “Switch” to activate and work between accounts without logging out and/or logging in. ✌️
Yes. I do this. I find myself working on both of them at the same time, just in two different browser tabs.
Do you end up needing a second email account? Is there a way to do it with the same email?
I use different emails because they are two separate accounts. That’s why I log into them separately from different browsers and stay logged in. However, if you have two or more publications within one email account, you don’t need two browsers just switch on the back end. That’s my understanding but it can get confusing that way for subscribers and you. Katie hopefully will clarify this. 😎
No. I use the same email account for both.
I have two separate newsletters--Writer Everlasting and Constant Commoner. I was able to use the same email for both, but my other Gmail was so full I created a new gmail account just for my newsletters.
Yeah: I have three totally different stacks. Helps with adding subscribers.
Michael Mohr
‘Sincere American Writing’
https://michaelmohr.substack.com/
What are the 3 stacks? Are they all contained in this link? (I don't see them.)
Michael Mohr
"Sincere American Writing"
https://michaelmohr.substack.com/
(politics/culture/essay/fiction)
Substack: "The Incompatibility of Being Alive"
https://reallife82.substack.com/
(My father's stage 4 cancer experience)
Substack: The Black Snake of Wounded Vanity
https://blacksnakeofvanity.substack.com/
(Serious and humorous thoughts/anecdotes)
Quick question you may not know the answer to: Can subscribers subscribe only to a section/sub-newsletter within a newsletter?
Yes.. go to icon in upper RH corner, and click on the manage subscriptions... check out your options there... or at least, that's how it works from my side :)
I had no idea you have three, Michael!
Yeah!! Woot woot! S.A.W. is "the main one."
Another question: I think in past Office Hours I noticed a TypeForm link for nominating Substacks to be featured on Substack Reads (or similar?) Is that still a thing?
I started my Substack page in June of 2022. I find that a good number of people are clicking on my content and I assume reading it. I think I am getting pretty good open and click rates. But I am only at around 42 free subscribers. I don't want to go paid until I have reached 100. How do I turn those people who will click on my page to read into subscribers? I have tried everything I know to do. I could really use some help.
I've been at Substack for three months. Until a couple of weeks ago, my free subscribers slowly increased to about 100. Then I posted on Facebook a direct appeal for my FB friends to please go check out my Substack blog and see if they wanted to join. I was timid to do this, but 44 new readers subscribed in two days. This amazed me.
My message, in case anyone is interested, included "I've started posting nature notes in a new location... I'd be grateful if you visited it to see if you would like to subscribe. It's free, and you can turn it off any time you want."
Thank you for this "how to" Diane. Makes publishing a bit less intimidating.
Same thing for me!
I find this too but I try not to take it personally!
I am very happy
What a fantastically succinct comment!
This made me smile. 😊
Hi all! I write my newsletter https://learningtointerrupt.substack.com/ as a mix of book reviews, notes about writing and publishing, and my personal life — I enjoy reading substacks about a variety of topics, but I wonder how everyone else feels. Would you rather read a more curated newsletter about one specific / niche topic or do you like a splash of the personal / a variety of topics?
Hi, I am new to this chat. I too write about a variety of topics. Agree it would be helpful to have a general category.
Interesting Substack. Subscribed!
Hi Substackers! Where are all the illustrators? 😍
Hi Meaghan, Are you an illustrator or someone looking for an illustrator?
I'm an author illustrator looking to connect with more illustrator substacks!
I have a few young people in my world who this might be a great opportunity to connect with other illustrators! I'll pass on your information. Someday I hope to publish a few children story ideas that have filled my head for years . . . and will need illustrators!
Hi Greta, I had a Kid section heading in my newsletter but hid it as no response. I tend toward childhood themes and songs ect. as well
Nice!
Just wanted to say thanks for the Audience Insights tab in Stats, absolutely love it (and not just because it turns out I’m read in 103 countries in 47 states, though that certainly helps). More of this sort of thing, please!
Yes mine just came through and #'s don't make sense Nathan
Hi everyone! I’ve been itching to finish writing my fourth article, and just haven’t made time for It. I’m SO pleased that I am really feeling so excited for this weekend because I know I’ll have time for it. I’m new to writing for public consumption and I didn’t know how I would feel about it. I loved publishing the first 3 articles and #4 will be published this weekend with fulfillment and joy. I feel grateful to have found Substack ✍🏽 🙏🏽!
Nice!
Hello everyone, I write Indian food stories and recipes over on my Substack Beyond Butter Chicken (http://Perzen.Substack.com)
I’d love to connect with other food story-tellers. And for the people that enjoy food writing, do you like just skipping to the recipe or is it the story that makes you want to cook/eat the food.
Depends on the writer! Sometimes, I just want the recipe, but the food publications on Substack I follow just for the writing and the *inspiration* about cooking. It’s different than like going to all recipes dot com to find something specific. If you haven’t encountered her, Fine Kettle of Fish is a delight to read.
I’ll definitely go find that one now. That’s an interesting perspective around looking for something specific. It made me realise I’m like that too. I won’t read a food Substack in the kitchen when I’m about to get my hands dirty and have a question, then I need the recipe. But most other times, reading about food is getting an insight into another culture. Thank you for this!
I'm new here! I always miss Office Hours because I have a recurring meeting at the same time, but today it got moved, and wow! It hasn't even officially begun and you're already all here encouraging each other. ❤️ Gonna make sure I start tuning in afterwards from now on for the excellent motivation!
May as well ask a question while I'm here: In addition to the newsletter I currently write, I'll be starting a new podcast here in a few weeks, and I'd like to know how easy you all found it to get it up and running and distributed. Been writing online a while, but never did a podcast before. Thanks!
If you just record straight into Substack it is pretty easy. But you have no ability to edit sound or change things within Substack. You can always choose to record somewhere else and then upload your podcast to the Substack feature.
If your content is scripted out you can do it very easily in Substack. Hope that helps.
Thanks, that was helpful!
Welcome 🙏
I thought I had an idea, but after a few minutes, I realized it was just a headache.
I know what you mean, best advice I can give ya is to jot that idea down immediately.
Maybe invest in a voice recorder but watch those updates if using Smartmob on phone. I just lost all 13 recordings and one gift recording that gifteelost as well 😕 Have to pay to retrieve as nothing else has worked
Apologies in advance if this is addressed in another comment, but I haven't read through the whole thread. I just don't "get" the private substack idea. Who would use it—in addition to or in lieu of a regular substack we work hard to promo and build readership—and why?
I was lost on its value at first, too. However here’s what I have been able to wiggle out based on my own setup.
As a developmental editor, my paid subscribers have access to monthly AMAa where they can ask me questions about writing, editing or publishing. It’s a big mix, and I think it’s easy to learn from others’ questions. I think the private substack could become a place for intensive developmental editing feedback in a limited group setting. Almost like a stand-alone writing therapy group that has a different structure and purpose and is more interactive than just my objective posts in general topics. We’ll see, though. This is all theory at this point.
*AMAs
A private stack means only subscribers can read the articles. It's not available to the world like a standard stack is. In addition, when someone subscribes to a private stack, they don't gain access immediately. You need to approve the sub request.
As for why, some opt for a private stack for news related to a family or some other group that's fairly small. Personally, it's not for me, and I don't exactly get it either, but I guess it fits what some people are looking for.
There are some people who use it as a way to promote a safe space for sensitive topics and conversations. It is also a way to be compensated for the time and effort that it takes to create resources, do research and write online.
Hey everyone! Hope you're all having a great week :)
I'm fairly new here, but I wanted to see if I could get some insight on a couple of topics:
- Early on with your newsletter, does social media provide a big boost? I'm not a fan of social media -- I've deactivated/reactivated accounts several times -- but with a very limited budget, sometimes it feels like the best way to get started.
- I do feel like cross-promotion would be my preferred route. Do you have any suggestions on where to find those opportunities? And also, how to go about presenting those opportunities? I think I get in my head a little bit about it, because my newsletter is, well, new. It's not like I can point to 1,000+ subscribers as a selling point to someone I'm approaching. I of course want the exchange to be beneficial for both parties... so yeah, it just ends up feeling like I'm A) selling something and B) that I can't deliver on that promise at this time.
Any/all feedback is greatly appreciated! Thank you!
It’s nice to come here and shop for collaborations. I’ve done it and had some success. Some don’t see the point if they can’t reach a big audience but it’s really about support and building relationships. Recommendations came off these relationships and I’ve grown my newsletter off those.
Thanks for your reply, Chevanne, I appreciate it. That's great to hear, that relationships can extend from these Office Hours. I like how you used "shop for collaborations" as well. I think that's a good way to think about it, vs. "selling".
Thanks again, excited to check out your newsletter.
Looks great! Nice to find your Substack.
I don’t know but your stack looks intriguing. Just subscribed 🙌
Thanks for subscribing, Michael! Eager to check out your newsletter as well.
Ditto!
Do you feel there is such a thing as publishing too often? For some subscriptions I get new content three times overnight. I don't mind so much but if I were doing this I would be worried about losing subscribers. What are your thought?
Hi, I don't think I have enough value at the moment to send out a weekly newsletter to my subscribers and so I don't send out all my posts out via email, I just have them on my Substack page under one of the sections such as Blog, Music and then if appropriate I'll link to them from my newsletters. I don't feel that every post I write needs to be sent to someone else's inbox!
Yes. Three times a week is the max for most stacks in my opinion
I definitely worry about over-saturation. I treat Substack’s features like different content channels that subscribers can opt into. The free version of my work gets a few updates plus a few paid previews each month. I use the chat function as a way paid subscribers can get direct access to me / answers (about editing/their stories, in my case). If someone doesn’t care about the AMAs or connecting with other writers over chat, that’s a dial they can turn all the way off.
If someone feels like they are getting too much they might unsubscribe. But if people find value in your content they will like it.
I think it is better for you to publish in a way that works for you. You don't want to bite off more than you can chew. You are author, you get to set the expectations
Yes, I do think there's such a thing as publishing too often. It's not writing often that's a problem, that's great, but if I were to get 3 posts from the same publication overnight, I wouldn't be able to keep up.
When I'm thinking about subbing to a new pub, I check the archives or the About page to get an idea of how frequently they publish. If it's daily, I can't do it.
Absolutely! I have unsubscribed from many good newsletters just because they publish too often. I personally cannot stand it. The newsletters I actually read are those that comes once per two weeks or a month or even less often.
How do I discover writers who are similar like myself who just started and writes similar content? It feels like I only see the very popular ones. I also want to ask how to promote my blog when I don't have a big following on social media? Also, this is the first time I've engaged in commenting. If you'd like to read something from a 23 yo in nyc that likes fun, fashion, and SATC ... check out thekarliediaries.substack.com :*
It definitely seems to take time! I do wish it were a little easier to navigate around the site. I'm on Substack a lot and I often come across people where it feels like I should have encountered them long before. Recommendations are a useful way to find 'your tribe.'
Yeah!!
Agreed it’s not easy, but the more I follow, the better it gets. I think even very popular accounts (and people with large twitter and IG accounts) even struggle with engagement.
You can also come here and ask around. I read Broke But Moisturized. Dia is a great writer and discusses her writing journey but also marathon training and indulging in pleasures while critiquing materialism, among other topics.
Type into the search bar key phrases like ‘memoir’ or ‘fiction’ etc
Hey Substack, the analytics updates have been quicker lately -- thank you!!! I have an additional request: Can you add a tab on the analytics page for each post that shows a simple chronological list of opens/reads, with the most recent open/read at the top? That way we can quickly see who the most recent reader was since the last time we looked, without having to look at each reader. It would be extremely helpful and save a lot of time. I'm sure it would be easy to add. Thank you for considering it!!!
I just started a newsletter called Wikipedia Daily, where I send a daily interesting Wikipedia article to the readers. I launched it today. What do you recommend I do to grow my subscriber count, from pretty much 0? I have 2 subscribers right now.
https://wikidaily.substack.com/subscribe
I’d say the best way is to tell friends, colleagues, or family members that you started a substack. Then if you want to grow further try sharing you articles on Twitter, or even on the Substack Writers Facebook and Discord Groups.
Currently I’m focusing on commenting on similar Substacks. A few months ago, On Substack posted an interview with a reporter and it was very informative. I forget her name, I think it was published in December. She talked about how she gets readers invested in very factual stories.
I didn’t know they had a discord! Can you share a link to it?
I got you! https://discord.com/invite/UQvAdpEbqM
Did not know about the Substack FB groups and Discourse will check it out thanks Fahim
FYI there is a popular Instagram account doing this. It was written up in New York Times. They focus on the quirky though. Good luck!
Interesting! Do you know the name of it?
Slow is smooth and smooth is fast. Also, don't just share something......share something and why you find it interesting and what you learned that you didn't know. Make it personal. Because I can get a randon article from Wiki directly already.
Slow is smooth. Smooth is Fast.
One of my fave quotes of all time.
I know. Made me smile to see it. It’s all my dad would say when I was learning to sail.
Yes, that’s how it’s structured. Obviously I’m aware Wikipedia is free; it is about my personal summary, and discussion around the article that makes it unique.
The first one just went out an hour ago, you can see how I formatted it here https://wikidaily.substack.com/p/voyager-1-and-the-golden-record
Daily newsletters are a nightmare! Motivational quotes daily. Bible verses daily. Soon nobody is paying any attention. My advise is find a different topic.
Well, good news! Daily is only for paid subscribers for those who want it. Otherwise it's twice weekly, if you're interested.
https://wikidaily.substack.com/subscribe
A week or two ago I asked here about repurposing my Substack pieces as an op-ed in a newspaper. Under my urgentopeds.com banner, I write op-eds for opinion leaders in major publications, but I also publish more satirical work under my own name. I disclosed to the editor that a version of this had appeared on Substack, but he didn't seem to mind. I suspect not every editor will feel the same. Here's what appeared in the Berkshire Eagle:
https://www.berkshireeagle.com/opinion/columnists/william-klein-liars-caucus/article_46a8f9b4-9907-11ed-9215-ef0cdf3e5ae7.html
Thanks for your guidance, and to this great community!
Is anyone else working on a technical newsletter?
I've been writing Mostly Python. It's a mix of technical posts about the language, some pieces about how to think about using Python in real-world projects, and current happenings in the Python world.
What do you like about Substack as a technical writer? Is there anything you wish Substack would do differently, to better support technical writing?
Not a technical newsletter but my newsletter (https://nealungerleider.substack.com) is aimed mainly at a trade/B2B audience. My favorite things about Substack are the ease of publishing and network effects for growth but I do think it's a challenge reaching industry/professional channels to get word out about newsletters at time.
Well put, Neal. My focus is on professionals using strategy in their work and outreach to them can be very expensive. Taking a lot of time and ingenuity...
Hello. Newbie here. Looking for any suggestions on growing readerships. Not too concerned about paid subscriptions yet - just want to get more people reading. I post three times per week and push out to Twitter and LinkedIn for my social media advertising.
Hi all. It's not long now until I hit the first anniversary of my Substack and a considerable number of my annual subscribers will be considering whether to renew. Would love to know how other 'stackers have handled this. Is there a way of offering re-subscribers a discount or have you created more exclusive content for them? Would be really helpful if you'd share your experience of this
That’s a good question. Not sure if it’s in settings. I was fortunate to have someone renew at the same rate, though while I feel valued, I am committing to more paid content.
I think you're right, one needs to try and offer more - or something different at least