Very encouraging. It does feel impossible to keep up with so many seemingly full time writer here, but I'm constantly reminding myself of why I need to write for my own soul and keep a pace that is sustainable for me.
I appreciate lots of clarity and practical tips here coming from a deeper place than the typical “build your subscribers” cycle. I’ve saved this and will definitely experiment and explore . Thanks
I love this idea of staying true to the writing part of Substack. It can feel very social media, and as such certainly does come with that addictiveness. Thanks for the honesty of this post.
Beautifully written. As someone who is used to pushing hard at a 9-5 and 'achieving,' it's hard to accept that growth here will just take consistency and time. Being myself, not getting swept away in scrolling, showing up with resonance and authenticity...yes. I'm here because of my 'why,' and if I can stay focused on that, I can stay really hopeful and excited for the days when people find my work and connect with it. Thanks for sharing your perspective.
This is great. Really insightful, and it shows that you’ve finally found a lot of clarity after having been through many ups and downs on this platform.
P.s. it's not just useful but very well written ;)
100%. I hope that substack trends in this direction. Where people don’t post just for the sake of growth, but post because it’s first and foremost meaningful to them.
This is a great piece! The advice you offer is not just for part-time creators; many full-time writers could stand to be reminded that the social media bells and whistles are just that—bells and whistles.
If you are sacrificing your writing time for social media time, you are doing it wrong. There are a million different ways to grow a large promotion file; but unless those names have come onto your list because they just love love love your work, they won’t convert into recurring sub revenue or book sales, or anything except overhead expense.
Readers become long-term followers and subscribers do so because of content. Those who come onboard due to a gimmick won’t stick around for the great read. They’ll just keep one eye open for the next cool gimmick. If it doesn’t materialize, they’ll be gone.
Thanks. Yes of course it can be applied to full time creators. I do see that a little differently as if it is your source of income you inévitably will approach it differently
Yes, there is definitely a difference when you are doing a writing project whose purpose is to please you and your friends-and-family circle, vs. a project that must meet certain mission objectives and performance goals to be considered a good use of time and money by its creators and funders. That’s true, regardless whether the project is your full-time job or an after-hours personal project that you’d love to do full time, if you could afford it.
For early-stage projects of either variety, job #1 is to publish-measure-analyze-and-test, over and over again until you can see some clear signals that your audience is responding to your work by giving it their support. Until you get that first green light for your content from your customers, any time and energy taken away from content and spent instead on marketing and sales may generate a misleadingly negative signal from the audience. If you can’t get the ardent core of your early readership to spring for a paid subscription, it won’t be because the sales pitch needs tweaking. It will be your signal to get yourself back to the work of creating the content your audience craves.
I realized moments ago that I’m signed in here on an account i use for testing. I’m going to try to move my conments to your great article to my main account.
This is something I've been thinking about lately and it's a reassuring affirmation I'm not "doing it wrong". Most of the growth tips here are from, or for, full time writers. But I'm already working a full time job and trying to squeeze not only Substack writing, but Substack growth and networking, it can be come overwhelming real quick.
I've since given myself permission to decrease the number of Notes I post, especially on weekends. Otherwise, the common advice of "3+ notes a day, everyday, don't miss a day", becomes such a drag on my motivation. This way, I can sustain my energy and enthusiasm for long form post writing, which is what most of us join this platform for in the first place, right?
Absolutely. What most people fail to understand is that the moment it becomes “work” an “effort” or you need discipline to “get it done” is the moment you just set the burn out timer. If it’s not enjoyable you won’t keep doing it so that is what I am optimising for who cares if it means I grow slower
Thanks Kevin. You hit the nail on the head. People are fleeing social media because it’s too loud, or fake or superficial…but I believe that the users (i.e us) can play a pivotal role in the development of platforms. If we don’t use certain features they will get discontinued so yes self awareness is extremely important
Another well written, concise and clear, post Benjamin. Your points are spot on in my view.
I think we need to keep things real and focus on producing quality posts. All the other stuff is embroidery. Some of it I don't use, like Chat and Lives, but I do like Notes. Your idea on how to check our response to Notes is perfect - if it's not making us happy, don't do it.
I've recently started a collaboration with six other Substackers around the world called 'Lay it on the Line', and we are rolling on the clouds right now. So far, it's been a very productive writing experience. We aim to produce one post a month together through 2025!
Very encouraging. It does feel impossible to keep up with so many seemingly full time writer here, but I'm constantly reminding myself of why I need to write for my own soul and keep a pace that is sustainable for me.
Just remember that no one just started as a full time writer. Everyone starts out part time just trying things
The thing people miss about newsletters - small, engaged audiences generate more impact than large, passive ones.
Better to have 100 readers who act than 10,000 who scroll.
I appreciate lots of clarity and practical tips here coming from a deeper place than the typical “build your subscribers” cycle. I’ve saved this and will definitely experiment and explore . Thanks
Thank you Benjamin. I am new to Substack and just feeling my way. Your advice and guidance makes a lot of sense.
Welcome Des. Good to have you here. I always say that the first 6 months are for you, not your readers so have fun and enjoy it 😀
Very generous piece of writing!
I loved this post so much that I saved it. Thank you! ☺️
So glad to hear it was a help
I love this idea of staying true to the writing part of Substack. It can feel very social media, and as such certainly does come with that addictiveness. Thanks for the honesty of this post.
Love what you said about hustle culture infecting creativity. I suspect I’m not the only one nodding my head feeling less alone.
Beautifully written. As someone who is used to pushing hard at a 9-5 and 'achieving,' it's hard to accept that growth here will just take consistency and time. Being myself, not getting swept away in scrolling, showing up with resonance and authenticity...yes. I'm here because of my 'why,' and if I can stay focused on that, I can stay really hopeful and excited for the days when people find my work and connect with it. Thanks for sharing your perspective.
As a beginner writer, here on Substack, this was the detailed and insightful read I was looking for. Thanks man, someone finally wrote it.
So glad it was of help. 😀
This is great. Really insightful, and it shows that you’ve finally found a lot of clarity after having been through many ups and downs on this platform.
P.s. it's not just useful but very well written ;)
Yes. Everyone has to experiment and find their own way…inspiration from others helps but it’ no replacement for doing the work
100%. I hope that substack trends in this direction. Where people don’t post just for the sake of growth, but post because it’s first and foremost meaningful to them.
Thanks I love the part of the resonance, the grit, my worldview. Never seen it in that light.
This is a great piece! The advice you offer is not just for part-time creators; many full-time writers could stand to be reminded that the social media bells and whistles are just that—bells and whistles.
If you are sacrificing your writing time for social media time, you are doing it wrong. There are a million different ways to grow a large promotion file; but unless those names have come onto your list because they just love love love your work, they won’t convert into recurring sub revenue or book sales, or anything except overhead expense.
Readers become long-term followers and subscribers do so because of content. Those who come onboard due to a gimmick won’t stick around for the great read. They’ll just keep one eye open for the next cool gimmick. If it doesn’t materialize, they’ll be gone.
Thanks. Yes of course it can be applied to full time creators. I do see that a little differently as if it is your source of income you inévitably will approach it differently
Yes, there is definitely a difference when you are doing a writing project whose purpose is to please you and your friends-and-family circle, vs. a project that must meet certain mission objectives and performance goals to be considered a good use of time and money by its creators and funders. That’s true, regardless whether the project is your full-time job or an after-hours personal project that you’d love to do full time, if you could afford it.
For early-stage projects of either variety, job #1 is to publish-measure-analyze-and-test, over and over again until you can see some clear signals that your audience is responding to your work by giving it their support. Until you get that first green light for your content from your customers, any time and energy taken away from content and spent instead on marketing and sales may generate a misleadingly negative signal from the audience. If you can’t get the ardent core of your early readership to spring for a paid subscription, it won’t be because the sales pitch needs tweaking. It will be your signal to get yourself back to the work of creating the content your audience craves.
I realized moments ago that I’m signed in here on an account i use for testing. I’m going to try to move my conments to your great article to my main account.
This is something I've been thinking about lately and it's a reassuring affirmation I'm not "doing it wrong". Most of the growth tips here are from, or for, full time writers. But I'm already working a full time job and trying to squeeze not only Substack writing, but Substack growth and networking, it can be come overwhelming real quick.
I've since given myself permission to decrease the number of Notes I post, especially on weekends. Otherwise, the common advice of "3+ notes a day, everyday, don't miss a day", becomes such a drag on my motivation. This way, I can sustain my energy and enthusiasm for long form post writing, which is what most of us join this platform for in the first place, right?
Absolutely. What most people fail to understand is that the moment it becomes “work” an “effort” or you need discipline to “get it done” is the moment you just set the burn out timer. If it’s not enjoyable you won’t keep doing it so that is what I am optimising for who cares if it means I grow slower
Fantastic read.
What comes up for me is the reason I read so many coming here (myself included): a desire for connection not being found on other social media.
The cautionary tale I take from your post is to remain self-aware, less you wind up in the exact same place.
When in doubt, use agency as your compass.
Loved what you shared.
Thanks Kevin. You hit the nail on the head. People are fleeing social media because it’s too loud, or fake or superficial…but I believe that the users (i.e us) can play a pivotal role in the development of platforms. If we don’t use certain features they will get discontinued so yes self awareness is extremely important
Another well written, concise and clear, post Benjamin. Your points are spot on in my view.
I think we need to keep things real and focus on producing quality posts. All the other stuff is embroidery. Some of it I don't use, like Chat and Lives, but I do like Notes. Your idea on how to check our response to Notes is perfect - if it's not making us happy, don't do it.
I've recently started a collaboration with six other Substackers around the world called 'Lay it on the Line', and we are rolling on the clouds right now. So far, it's been a very productive writing experience. We aim to produce one post a month together through 2025!
Wow that sounds amazing. Collaborations are what Substack and creativity in gereral is all about. Sounds like you’re on a really good path
Here's our first piece: https://yasminchopin.substack.com/p/art-ecology-philosophy-place-writing- published yesterday on my 'stack. So pleased with it!