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LOVE this advice. In the fear, we find the rawest insight that deserves to be shared with the world
Henrik Karlsson shared a beautiful insight this week in his Notes: substack.com/@henrikkar…
"Don't fear your readers.
I sometimes fear disappointing my audience, but I try to push through that and instead actively give people a way out, so th…
LOVE this advice. In the fear, we find the rawest insight that deserves to be shared with the world
Henrik Karlsson shared a beautiful insight this week in his Notes: https://substack.com/@henrikkarlsson/note/c-45509170
"Don't fear your readers.
I sometimes fear disappointing my audience, but I try to push through that and instead actively give people a way out, so that I can filter for those I can serve well, and those I can be authentic before. Last winter I wrote two posts that blew up, the first time that had happened to me, and I felt scared. So I decided that my next post would be something entirely unlike what people liked - so I wrote a very long and detailed story about the last hours of my grandmother's life. This churned ten percent of my audience and I felt relief. I felt more connected to those who stayed, and that made me feel free. Allow yourself to evolve in public."
I've been undergoing a similar transition as Henrik. I started this year with travel writing but recently switched to fiction that explores culture and history. I saw some people unsubscribe over the past couple of months, but I also saw more people subscribe than before. Similar to Henrik, I've learned to feel content rather than anxious about unsubscribes. Your newsletter isn't meant to speak to everyone, and that's perfectly fine.
the most important thing is that our newsletter speaks to us 😌
for me, it helps to have unsubscribe notifications turned off – I want folks to feel free in unsubscribing if they feel called to stop reading my work!