My read rates increase in the holidays, even (so weird) for my "for work" publication (published under a different account).
When I asked, readers told me they use holidays to catch up on stuff they have been meaning to get around to reading. Or, if they are stuck at work during holiday periods they often have fewer ordinary tasks and can catch up on emails.
My lowest free-to-paid periods seem to be late August, early September, which I assume is due to the pressures of the new school/work year in the Northern Hemisphere... people maybe don't have as much time to read.
that's super interesting – I can remember poking around for things to read during the holiday lull in December. the end of summer dip makes sense too as everyone's getting back to school, etc.
I've only been writing for 6 months, however I posted my last story on Thanksgiving Day, hoping people wanted a break from their racist uncle at the dinner table, and was pleasantly surprised to see a lot of emails opened that day, or the next. I might not post on New Year's day, as people will be hung over, but I want to assume the holidays presents some free time for people to read.
I haven't noticed anything. Summer is the real killer, but holidays for me last year were pretty good. I think it's because people have more down time for general reading.
🟧 Engagement metrics: What does reader engagement look like throughout the year? Does readership dip through the holidays?
Hi Cissy! It really depends on your publication, content and audience. You can see your publication stats in your writer dashboard and see what days, months, etc your readers are more active. I suggest you check out our guide to Substack metrics: https://support.substack.com/hc/en-us/articles/5320347155860-A-guide-to-Substack-metrics
thanks, Bruno – appreciate you flagging the post!
My read rates increase in the holidays, even (so weird) for my "for work" publication (published under a different account).
When I asked, readers told me they use holidays to catch up on stuff they have been meaning to get around to reading. Or, if they are stuck at work during holiday periods they often have fewer ordinary tasks and can catch up on emails.
My lowest free-to-paid periods seem to be late August, early September, which I assume is due to the pressures of the new school/work year in the Northern Hemisphere... people maybe don't have as much time to read.
that's super interesting – I can remember poking around for things to read during the holiday lull in December. the end of summer dip makes sense too as everyone's getting back to school, etc.
thanks, Karen :)
I've only been writing for 6 months, however I posted my last story on Thanksgiving Day, hoping people wanted a break from their racist uncle at the dinner table, and was pleasantly surprised to see a lot of emails opened that day, or the next. I might not post on New Year's day, as people will be hung over, but I want to assume the holidays presents some free time for people to read.
great to hear you had some Thanksgiving readers, Yamuna! this thread has convinced me to post through the holidays – appreciate you sharing :)
I haven't noticed anything. Summer is the real killer, but holidays for me last year were pretty good. I think it's because people have more down time for general reading.
Mine certainly dips on Weekends and at night.
Good question. I've been on Substack only since August, so I'm a bit curious about that, too.