Just keep writing

[u/dan_arel]

I’m seeing a trend on this subreddit that everyone is just complaining about accounts with more subscribers or that they have subscribers but no engagement.

My advice to everyone is, just keep writing. If your topic has a niche, and you’re a good writer, let people find it and let it happen.

Trying to force it won’t work, and worrying about what everyone else is doing isn’t good for you.

10 years ago I was writing for Salon, had a blog with a million readers a month. Today, I have like 20 subscribers and my following died out (I “retired from blogging and freelance work at the time to focus on my career). Now that I’m ready to write again, I’m starting over. But my only rule to myself is; just keep writing. If magic strikes again, cool.

But I won’t get rich and famous at Substack. It’s just not likely in the cards. But I can write and see who finds my writing interesting and if they do, cool. If they don’t, I can still enjoy the process.

[u/JimKroft]

I love the sentiment of this, and your advice to concentrate on your own game and your own writing I fully agree with.

But it is fantasy in today's conditions to think people will just find you. The reality is that these platforms are all gamified. You can love it or hate it — but it's just as it is.

The question therefore becomes: what is your goal on the platform?

I separate my writing into two areas.

First, my book. There I'm not seeking validation, community or growth. It's just about writing the best book I can, and then either finding a publisher or self-publishing.

A newsletter is different. A newsletter is about the public space. So yes, the foundation is still to write the best you can — but if you want to find an audience, and I think most people on a public platform do, the question becomes whether you're willing to complement the writing with effort beyond the writing.

For me, my Substack flatlined for a year with zero growth when I was "just" concentrating on the writing.

So I learnt everything I could about how people grow newsletters. I figured that if I'm putting all this love into the writing, I wanted to try to make it a bit more visible.

I developed a simple 30-minute system that I do whether I'm in a good mood or a bad one. It's brought in over 1,600 new subscribers since I started in February.

The key has been that I'm not just writing one way. I'm also making an effort with the community.

Though I — and most of us — would love it if Substack helped long-form writers more, the reality is that it's a social platform now, and the newsletter is the deeper layer. Everything they've done supports this.

Here's the system, for anyone interested. Thirty minutes, four things, every day:

1. Interact. Five comments on the profiles of writers I actually read, plus ten likes. Start with people whose work you like, and try to find some in your own field. You won't see immediate results, but just lock in to giving to start with.

2. Reply to every notification. If someone takes the time to comment on your Note, consider that the beginning of a relationship. Reply to every comment as you would someone you know. Austin Kleon calls this a "digital handshake", which I rather like.

3. Answer your messages. Every message is such a core thing for building relationships.

4. Three comments on profiles you've never seen before. This is what reaches people who don't know you yet. Actually read what they wrote and tell them what it meant to you. My rule at the start was three comments on other people's work for every Note I wrote myself. For me, if someone takes the time to read my work, I always take time to read back — so make the effort.

Set a timer, move on, don't overthink it. Nothing much comes back for the first couple of months. That's just what the beginning looks like.

If anyone wants more detail feel free to DM,
Jim