I’m not a writer, so I don’t use Substack in any sort of professional capacity. I’m a psychologist and one of the reasons I do what I do is because I believe in the value of making a difference, even if just for one person. To that end - your writing Poorna is one of the highlights of my day/week/month. Ever since I read Chase The Rainbow I’ve pre-ordered every book you’ve written and either devoured it in a couple of days or saved it as a delicious treat for my next holiday. I’ve never tended towards fiction because I find real life fascinating enough but I still gobbled up your fiction books! We’re about the same age and have similar taste in music and fashion with similar views on friendship, family and dating relationships but there’s differences in our cultural backgrounds and parenting status which means I’ve learnt so much from the eloquent way you describe your experiences. I paid up as a subscriber as soon as you offered it and am currently reading your sister’s book so I just want to say really that your writing has enriched my life, I can’t possibly be the only one who feels like this and I’d be devastated if I lost your work!
I agree with all of these feelings, to the degree that I’ve spent all week pondering whether ‘this is it’ as growth is so non-existent. I’ve even thought about asking other writers whether they’re finding it this hard. I recently opened up a poll to ask my readers what they want more of from me, then I spent the next three weeks working on content that reflected their answers. This week, I spent several hours each evening over four consecutive evenings working on a new post. I added a paywall, which I don’t always do, but I did this time as like you, I can’t afford to maintain a Substack as a hobby. I sent that on Friday. Since then I’ve gained 10 free subscribers and actually lost five paid ones - no one cared enough to upgrade their subscription. In terms of helping me continue to keep moving this machine forwards, it was technically a waste of effort and I could have written two articles in the same amount of time that a publication would have paid me for.
I’m pulling my hair out with it. I have 67k Instagram followers but it makes no difference - sharing my posts on stories there doesn’t convert into subscribers. I also believe that now 'everyone' has a Substack, it’s making it seemingly impossible to grow paid subs unless you already had a substantial subscriber base here.
I also feel like I’m begging in every post and it’s awkward - having to constantly ask people to like or repost things so they’ll be seen, to subscribe rather than just read and leave with no commitment, to pay for a subscription if they’re able. I’ve never done another job where I’ve felt like I’m constantly pleading to be paid for my work and justifying why it’s worth it. It feels crappy to do so, which causes me to question sometimes whether I should be writing here at all.
It’s very tough and I feel you on this. In particular pouring so much effort into it and not being able to justify the work versus the return. The truth is that I think in some quarters people expect content for free - whether it’s online or consuming podcasts and it’s just not a sustainable system when you’ve poured so much money and time into honing your skills. The reality is whether or not we can accept that and be okay with a much reduced audience who are very engaged and loving, even if our egos are telling us it should be bigger. I don’t have the answer yet!
Definitely, it doesn’t help that people know me from Instagram where I’ve been sharing my life/work/interests/thoughts for seven years and now suddenly I’m asking for payment, while knowing that realistically, not many people can afford to support 10, 20, 30 Substacks. I know I can’t, even though I’d like to. I actually never thought about the US/UK disposable income discrepancy on Substack before until you pointed it out and that was one of those ‘duh, of course!’ moments. We speak the same language but our size and spending power are SO different!
I also wonder about how well known it is in the UK? As far as I can tell, it isn't; so unless you've brought over a large email list, which I haven't, there's no doubt it's a slog.
The other thing I've noticed is that those Substacks promoted in the interests section are predominantly written by men.
I have recently come to the conclusion that the best way for growth for me is via offering a discount. I offer one every 3 months, only for annual subs and it's only £10 off (16% discount for my price). I have never offered a discount on monthlys. I get about 20 upgrades from the discount and know they won't suddenly disappear because they are annuals. It's made me realise people *love* a discount, even if it's only for a small amount. I don't think bigger discounts result in more upgrades, it's just any discount. The effect is diluted if a discount is offered too frequently though, so I wouldn't do more than every 3 months. Then for the rest of the time I accept that it's almost a one in one out thing and growth is minimal. But that's ok, because the growth happens at the 3 months mark. My aim in between each discount is to grow the free subs as much as poss so more are likely to upgrade when they get the discount.
I am cultivating a long term community so I'm all about the annual subs. I have a lot of amazing engaged and regular subscribers who take the time to write such thoughtful comments, I'm writing for them. Also, comments sections are always behind a paywall meaning they can never be read, even when the whole essay is available to read; I want the comment section to always be very exclusive. And I don't want just anyone on the internet to be able to read all the personal stuff my community is writing there.
Also, I think readers can tell when writers are trying too hard to get more subs and it can be a turn off. For this reason, and because I've enforced a strict limit on how I use Substack, I would never use the chat, increase my posting frequency (4 essays a month, 2 sunday community discussions and I take a one week break after every 8 weeks), or engage with people's Notes. I treat Notes like I treat every other social platform, I'll share something then leave. And I'm usually sharing what Ive been up to just because I want to. I don't personally think Notes is a tool for growth, it's more of a distraction and for readers to feel like they're part of something without having to pay for the work they're reading. Which I'm not going to spend my time on.
With paywalls, half of my essays are free to read (they're usually opinion essays) and half are paywalled. In the paywalled ones I'm usually offering some information or sharing something I've discovered, something people want and so are willing to pay for. They do result in some upgrades each time, often monthlys that will then unsubscribe once they've read the article. But sometimes annuals. I rarely get any upgrades from my free to read opinion pieces but I don't mind, as those are the ones that get shared more and then bring in more free subs to hopefully upsell to with a discount later.
Those are my tactics and two cents in case they help at all. Love your writing, Poorna!
This is super interesting to read after starting up with Substack in the last month or so. I’ve always been writing to some degree but never put anything out into the world. This is an experiment, a place to find my voice (hopefully!) Thank you for sharing your experience, I also hope it doesn’t get taken over by SEO nonsense. I was drawn to Substack because of the freedom to write freely and connect with others, rather than writing in a way that would get me followers. I feel like that takes away the value of our words.
I also feel the same Poorna, and to be honest, if someone with your credentials and experience is struggling on this platform, as an emerging writer and with limited tech knowledge, I have no hope of gaining traction. I initially started a WordPress blog back in 2011 and had greater success there as I think SEO works in your favour a bit more...I think. I then tried the Medium platform and while easier to navigate, it was hard to build an audience. Like Substack, the only people who thrived were the usual suspects, those who wrote about how to be a better writer, those who wrote about how to build a bigger audience and make those magical six-figure incomes, and anyone writing about entrepreneurship. The people who know the ins and outs of how Substack works are doing well, and despite having taken a subscription with one of these successful people, I'm still struggling with this platform. The other downside is having to take out so many individual subscriptions. That's the thing I like about Medium. You pay once and have access across the platform. Writers are paid by the amount of claps/likes and how long people spend reading your article. It doesn't have the kind of community you get here and that's one thing I do miss, and the reason many of us are still here. I love your writing so I do hope you stick around.
I joined substack a while ago in order to follow a few authors in the US. But since I've been on here I've found a handful of British authors who I really enjoy, including you! One of your posts also lead me to your recent book, which I also loved. So thank you for that!
I think cost of living definitely impacts paid subscription numbers, how could it not? If I had unlimited funds I would have more paid subscriptions, but I have to limit it to just a few. I do chop and change them over time - partly to support different people and partly to vary the content I can read and engage with. But please do not take this personally!
I turned off the email notifications for most new posts as email is too stressful as it is. I prefer to pop into substack when I have time and headspace to find wonderful things to read. And I don't comment very often because I'm shy and tend to overthink things, not because I haven't enjoyed the piece. I hope you find a happy medium where you get more of what you want from substack.
This is a great response and is exactly how I feel. I’ve always subscribed to print magazines for the variety of content by different writers. I’ve moved to reading on Substack as I can do it anywhere but I can’t afford to subscribe to everyone I like. I also change my subscriptions otherwise I feel I am in a vacuum and not reading the variety I would like. I try to always like a post I’ve read but rarely comment (as don’t know who else is reading).
I follow your work on Insta and here, and I've read your books. I enjoy your writing and your perspective on the world a lot: it's refreshing and deep and reflected. There are likely lots of us out here who are grateful for your honesty and your view of the world, but most of us don't give you the feedback you deserve. (Lazy--no; reserved--possibly.)
I see what you mean with Substack. I do follow my favourite writers on Substack but hate it when other authors are promoted/pushed as "someone you might like". I have made the decision to stay at the free level for financial reasons, but I recognise that I miss out on the good stuff at times!
Please keep writing here and sharing the challenges of the platform, and thanks for sharing your perspective with us!
I've been thinking about this all A LOT recently, especially as I get asked that same "how's Substack going?" from other media friends, and also recently, "you've not quite worked out what you're doing with your newsletter yet have you" - which seemed brutal in the moment but appreciated that this friend was able to articulate the thought further.
As an Australian based writer I sometimes wonder whether the market here is that developed - my feeling is that it isn't - and whether my work is too disparate in focus. I'm based in Western Australia (which often feels like a different country to Australia) but British, so i find myself with a foot in both hemispheres in terms of cultural interest and life experiences that I draw on (with the occasional detour to the States and Asia). Should I be laser focused I often wonder, but then the thought of my newsletter was always just to write all the things I want to write: the inside baseball stuff, to some tangent about a bar in San Francisco, to interviewing people who fascinate me.
There was always a feeling that there may be an audience for that and although there is, and some pay, my comparison gene kicks in when I see a Note about milestones or someone gains a bestseller badge. I'm left thinking should I just be putting my energy elsewhere.
My thought is to keep plugging away and that if I get too bogged down in what people want (who those people are I have no idea) then it'll just not give me the satisfaction to continue. I've wanted to give up a heap of times but there's always that little voice that tells me to continue, the long email from a reader or the passing comment from a friend.
I feel similar. I’m not a data driven person, so I’m not obsessed with the numbers of comments, views, etc. but I am concerned that after more than two years I’m not seeing any real growth despite putting in more time and effort. I suspect one of the main issues is that, as you say, the platform is not fully developed. As someone living in the UK, I feel we are very much on the fringe and it’s hard to get any real cut through. Also, as more established writers pile in, it will make it increasingly more challenging for those with a smaller or no audience to achieve any recognition. One of my notes recently received hundreds of views but that didn’t translate into new followers. Ultimately I am here because I enjoy being part of the community and love being able to support older people to have a happier, healthier sex life but I’ve come to realise it’s unlikely to deliver the kind of income I was hoping for.
Poorna, thanks for the openness that you always bring to the table. Many of the things you mention are issues I have also struggled with at times. I have also been writing for a year now but for me this is completely new. I don't have the background in journalism or a big social media following so my expectations were fairly low. However, when my free subscriptions really started taking off I thought I would see similar growth in paid subscriptions. That hasn't materialized yet.
For my own sanity I approach this from the perspective that I am going to write the things that resonate with me and which I am most passionate about. Hopefully in this big world there are a few souls similar enough they will want to read my work. I think many readers (myself included often enough) read great writers like yourself but often don't leave comments or feedback. I personally can't afford to subscribe to every writer I would like to. If I win the lotto one of these days then I will share the love with all the writers :)
Keep writing and more importantly stay true to yourself in your writing. Don't sell out to the algorithm. There is plenty of trash writing out there already. We need good and honest writing. All the best, Matthew
You were the very first Substack I ever subscribed to. I did it because you wrote a GREAT piece on choosing to be childless. My very soul needed the words you wrote. I still read all you write because we bonded with that piece but we do not match up 100% since…… but isn’t that alright??? All who love are seldom twins… I believe that God has that specific audience for each one of your heartfelt stories…. Hope this helps… Patricia
I don’t write, partly because I don’t have time, partly I know I have no staying power and a hefty dollop of no one could possibly be interested in what I have to say. I do read, and I love your writing and perspectives - always thought provoking and beautifully expressed. However maybe it’s something to do with age (early 50s) I haven’t built up a good habit of interacting with writers. I guess I am still harking back to reading print journalism offline and not expecting to engage. I also feel a bit odd commenting (again, why would anyone be bothered about my comment) which is absolutely ridiculous because I know you always read and respond. What I guess all this comes down to is - please keep going, and instead of just thinking about my reaction to your writing I will try to get better at sharing it with you!
Thank you! And don’t feel pressured to comment if it feels exposing - I think it’s important to do what’s right for you. But you have shed a very important new perspective on the habits around interacting online and I find it fascinating as it might explain a lot.
From the contents of this post, it seems like you have five goals for your Substack and they are all of equally high priority:
1. Community and connection
2. To feel a freedom in your writing that you don't have in any other part of your life (and I can't help being curious about this lack - not sure if it only refers to writing or not)
3. To gain paid subscribers
4. To make a living however small
5. To avoid working in corporate settings / doing corporate writing
I would not venture to give advice, but I wanted to share the observation of so many goals, because I think that's an inherently frustrating state of affairs. I've been inconsistently posting on Substack for a year and I don't even know what my niche might be, or my goals, other than to get people to read my thoughts. So, you're helping me think. I hope you don't quit writing your newsletter.
I was a paid subscriber to you for a few months a while back. Actually, you’re the only writer I’ve ever paid for on this platform! I like the kinds of things you’ve had to say about womanhood, self worth, etc. I switched back to a free subscription just to be a bit more prudent with my budget (I live in the US). Still have student loans!
Thanks for sharing your honesty here. Maybe someday Substack will be a place for writers to all have consistent growth. But your subscriptions plateauing is more about the economy and other metrics, and not about the quality of what you do!
Agree with what so many people have shared here, and with many of the areas that you raise in your piece, Poorna.
Your writing is honest and relatable, and I’m really glad that you have been able to experiment here (I have a newsletter, and that is how I now view what I do there).
Over the past few months, I have realised that there are only a handful of newsletters that I make a conscious choice to read each week, and yours is always one of them.
I’m not a writer, so I don’t use Substack in any sort of professional capacity. I’m a psychologist and one of the reasons I do what I do is because I believe in the value of making a difference, even if just for one person. To that end - your writing Poorna is one of the highlights of my day/week/month. Ever since I read Chase The Rainbow I’ve pre-ordered every book you’ve written and either devoured it in a couple of days or saved it as a delicious treat for my next holiday. I’ve never tended towards fiction because I find real life fascinating enough but I still gobbled up your fiction books! We’re about the same age and have similar taste in music and fashion with similar views on friendship, family and dating relationships but there’s differences in our cultural backgrounds and parenting status which means I’ve learnt so much from the eloquent way you describe your experiences. I paid up as a subscriber as soon as you offered it and am currently reading your sister’s book so I just want to say really that your writing has enriched my life, I can’t possibly be the only one who feels like this and I’d be devastated if I lost your work!
Oh my gosh Deb!! This made me feel so emotional - thank you 💜💜💜💜
💯💯💯
*whispers* substack is a bit shit
Hahahahahahaha why did this make me laugh so much
😂
I agree with all of these feelings, to the degree that I’ve spent all week pondering whether ‘this is it’ as growth is so non-existent. I’ve even thought about asking other writers whether they’re finding it this hard. I recently opened up a poll to ask my readers what they want more of from me, then I spent the next three weeks working on content that reflected their answers. This week, I spent several hours each evening over four consecutive evenings working on a new post. I added a paywall, which I don’t always do, but I did this time as like you, I can’t afford to maintain a Substack as a hobby. I sent that on Friday. Since then I’ve gained 10 free subscribers and actually lost five paid ones - no one cared enough to upgrade their subscription. In terms of helping me continue to keep moving this machine forwards, it was technically a waste of effort and I could have written two articles in the same amount of time that a publication would have paid me for.
I’m pulling my hair out with it. I have 67k Instagram followers but it makes no difference - sharing my posts on stories there doesn’t convert into subscribers. I also believe that now 'everyone' has a Substack, it’s making it seemingly impossible to grow paid subs unless you already had a substantial subscriber base here.
I also feel like I’m begging in every post and it’s awkward - having to constantly ask people to like or repost things so they’ll be seen, to subscribe rather than just read and leave with no commitment, to pay for a subscription if they’re able. I’ve never done another job where I’ve felt like I’m constantly pleading to be paid for my work and justifying why it’s worth it. It feels crappy to do so, which causes me to question sometimes whether I should be writing here at all.
It’s very tough and I feel you on this. In particular pouring so much effort into it and not being able to justify the work versus the return. The truth is that I think in some quarters people expect content for free - whether it’s online or consuming podcasts and it’s just not a sustainable system when you’ve poured so much money and time into honing your skills. The reality is whether or not we can accept that and be okay with a much reduced audience who are very engaged and loving, even if our egos are telling us it should be bigger. I don’t have the answer yet!
Definitely, it doesn’t help that people know me from Instagram where I’ve been sharing my life/work/interests/thoughts for seven years and now suddenly I’m asking for payment, while knowing that realistically, not many people can afford to support 10, 20, 30 Substacks. I know I can’t, even though I’d like to. I actually never thought about the US/UK disposable income discrepancy on Substack before until you pointed it out and that was one of those ‘duh, of course!’ moments. We speak the same language but our size and spending power are SO different!
I also wonder about how well known it is in the UK? As far as I can tell, it isn't; so unless you've brought over a large email list, which I haven't, there's no doubt it's a slog.
The other thing I've noticed is that those Substacks promoted in the interests section are predominantly written by men.
I love your writing Eleanor, please done give up x
That is so kind! Thank you
I have recently come to the conclusion that the best way for growth for me is via offering a discount. I offer one every 3 months, only for annual subs and it's only £10 off (16% discount for my price). I have never offered a discount on monthlys. I get about 20 upgrades from the discount and know they won't suddenly disappear because they are annuals. It's made me realise people *love* a discount, even if it's only for a small amount. I don't think bigger discounts result in more upgrades, it's just any discount. The effect is diluted if a discount is offered too frequently though, so I wouldn't do more than every 3 months. Then for the rest of the time I accept that it's almost a one in one out thing and growth is minimal. But that's ok, because the growth happens at the 3 months mark. My aim in between each discount is to grow the free subs as much as poss so more are likely to upgrade when they get the discount.
I am cultivating a long term community so I'm all about the annual subs. I have a lot of amazing engaged and regular subscribers who take the time to write such thoughtful comments, I'm writing for them. Also, comments sections are always behind a paywall meaning they can never be read, even when the whole essay is available to read; I want the comment section to always be very exclusive. And I don't want just anyone on the internet to be able to read all the personal stuff my community is writing there.
Also, I think readers can tell when writers are trying too hard to get more subs and it can be a turn off. For this reason, and because I've enforced a strict limit on how I use Substack, I would never use the chat, increase my posting frequency (4 essays a month, 2 sunday community discussions and I take a one week break after every 8 weeks), or engage with people's Notes. I treat Notes like I treat every other social platform, I'll share something then leave. And I'm usually sharing what Ive been up to just because I want to. I don't personally think Notes is a tool for growth, it's more of a distraction and for readers to feel like they're part of something without having to pay for the work they're reading. Which I'm not going to spend my time on.
With paywalls, half of my essays are free to read (they're usually opinion essays) and half are paywalled. In the paywalled ones I'm usually offering some information or sharing something I've discovered, something people want and so are willing to pay for. They do result in some upgrades each time, often monthlys that will then unsubscribe once they've read the article. But sometimes annuals. I rarely get any upgrades from my free to read opinion pieces but I don't mind, as those are the ones that get shared more and then bring in more free subs to hopefully upsell to with a discount later.
Those are my tactics and two cents in case they help at all. Love your writing, Poorna!
This is so generous, kind and helpful Leyla - thank you!! And god you’re right about Notes. Love it but…. a distraction xx
WOW. What a thoughtful response. Thank you for taking the time to explain your experience so far. Lots to consider. 💝
This is super interesting to read after starting up with Substack in the last month or so. I’ve always been writing to some degree but never put anything out into the world. This is an experiment, a place to find my voice (hopefully!) Thank you for sharing your experience, I also hope it doesn’t get taken over by SEO nonsense. I was drawn to Substack because of the freedom to write freely and connect with others, rather than writing in a way that would get me followers. I feel like that takes away the value of our words.
This is absolutely the way forward, I feel. Hope you continue to enjoy writing and being on here xx
I also feel the same Poorna, and to be honest, if someone with your credentials and experience is struggling on this platform, as an emerging writer and with limited tech knowledge, I have no hope of gaining traction. I initially started a WordPress blog back in 2011 and had greater success there as I think SEO works in your favour a bit more...I think. I then tried the Medium platform and while easier to navigate, it was hard to build an audience. Like Substack, the only people who thrived were the usual suspects, those who wrote about how to be a better writer, those who wrote about how to build a bigger audience and make those magical six-figure incomes, and anyone writing about entrepreneurship. The people who know the ins and outs of how Substack works are doing well, and despite having taken a subscription with one of these successful people, I'm still struggling with this platform. The other downside is having to take out so many individual subscriptions. That's the thing I like about Medium. You pay once and have access across the platform. Writers are paid by the amount of claps/likes and how long people spend reading your article. It doesn't have the kind of community you get here and that's one thing I do miss, and the reason many of us are still here. I love your writing so I do hope you stick around.
This was incredibly helpful, thank you Silvana!
I joined substack a while ago in order to follow a few authors in the US. But since I've been on here I've found a handful of British authors who I really enjoy, including you! One of your posts also lead me to your recent book, which I also loved. So thank you for that!
I think cost of living definitely impacts paid subscription numbers, how could it not? If I had unlimited funds I would have more paid subscriptions, but I have to limit it to just a few. I do chop and change them over time - partly to support different people and partly to vary the content I can read and engage with. But please do not take this personally!
I turned off the email notifications for most new posts as email is too stressful as it is. I prefer to pop into substack when I have time and headspace to find wonderful things to read. And I don't comment very often because I'm shy and tend to overthink things, not because I haven't enjoyed the piece. I hope you find a happy medium where you get more of what you want from substack.
Completely understand and thank you Bex!
This is a great response and is exactly how I feel. I’ve always subscribed to print magazines for the variety of content by different writers. I’ve moved to reading on Substack as I can do it anywhere but I can’t afford to subscribe to everyone I like. I also change my subscriptions otherwise I feel I am in a vacuum and not reading the variety I would like. I try to always like a post I’ve read but rarely comment (as don’t know who else is reading).
I follow your work on Insta and here, and I've read your books. I enjoy your writing and your perspective on the world a lot: it's refreshing and deep and reflected. There are likely lots of us out here who are grateful for your honesty and your view of the world, but most of us don't give you the feedback you deserve. (Lazy--no; reserved--possibly.)
I see what you mean with Substack. I do follow my favourite writers on Substack but hate it when other authors are promoted/pushed as "someone you might like". I have made the decision to stay at the free level for financial reasons, but I recognise that I miss out on the good stuff at times!
Please keep writing here and sharing the challenges of the platform, and thanks for sharing your perspective with us!
Thank you Catherine - really appreciate it!
I've been thinking about this all A LOT recently, especially as I get asked that same "how's Substack going?" from other media friends, and also recently, "you've not quite worked out what you're doing with your newsletter yet have you" - which seemed brutal in the moment but appreciated that this friend was able to articulate the thought further.
As an Australian based writer I sometimes wonder whether the market here is that developed - my feeling is that it isn't - and whether my work is too disparate in focus. I'm based in Western Australia (which often feels like a different country to Australia) but British, so i find myself with a foot in both hemispheres in terms of cultural interest and life experiences that I draw on (with the occasional detour to the States and Asia). Should I be laser focused I often wonder, but then the thought of my newsletter was always just to write all the things I want to write: the inside baseball stuff, to some tangent about a bar in San Francisco, to interviewing people who fascinate me.
There was always a feeling that there may be an audience for that and although there is, and some pay, my comparison gene kicks in when I see a Note about milestones or someone gains a bestseller badge. I'm left thinking should I just be putting my energy elsewhere.
My thought is to keep plugging away and that if I get too bogged down in what people want (who those people are I have no idea) then it'll just not give me the satisfaction to continue. I've wanted to give up a heap of times but there's always that little voice that tells me to continue, the long email from a reader or the passing comment from a friend.
Really feel you on how much of a difference it makes to have that tiny bit of feedback from people 💜
I feel similar. I’m not a data driven person, so I’m not obsessed with the numbers of comments, views, etc. but I am concerned that after more than two years I’m not seeing any real growth despite putting in more time and effort. I suspect one of the main issues is that, as you say, the platform is not fully developed. As someone living in the UK, I feel we are very much on the fringe and it’s hard to get any real cut through. Also, as more established writers pile in, it will make it increasingly more challenging for those with a smaller or no audience to achieve any recognition. One of my notes recently received hundreds of views but that didn’t translate into new followers. Ultimately I am here because I enjoy being part of the community and love being able to support older people to have a happier, healthier sex life but I’ve come to realise it’s unlikely to deliver the kind of income I was hoping for.
I’m glad it’s not just me that feels this with regards to the US focus. Please keep doing what you’re doing - it’s so vitally important! 💜
Poorna, thanks for the openness that you always bring to the table. Many of the things you mention are issues I have also struggled with at times. I have also been writing for a year now but for me this is completely new. I don't have the background in journalism or a big social media following so my expectations were fairly low. However, when my free subscriptions really started taking off I thought I would see similar growth in paid subscriptions. That hasn't materialized yet.
For my own sanity I approach this from the perspective that I am going to write the things that resonate with me and which I am most passionate about. Hopefully in this big world there are a few souls similar enough they will want to read my work. I think many readers (myself included often enough) read great writers like yourself but often don't leave comments or feedback. I personally can't afford to subscribe to every writer I would like to. If I win the lotto one of these days then I will share the love with all the writers :)
Keep writing and more importantly stay true to yourself in your writing. Don't sell out to the algorithm. There is plenty of trash writing out there already. We need good and honest writing. All the best, Matthew
This is very kind and helpful Matthew, thank you!
You were the very first Substack I ever subscribed to. I did it because you wrote a GREAT piece on choosing to be childless. My very soul needed the words you wrote. I still read all you write because we bonded with that piece but we do not match up 100% since…… but isn’t that alright??? All who love are seldom twins… I believe that God has that specific audience for each one of your heartfelt stories…. Hope this helps… Patricia
Thank you!! This helps a lot and so appreciate you sharing that with me
I don’t write, partly because I don’t have time, partly I know I have no staying power and a hefty dollop of no one could possibly be interested in what I have to say. I do read, and I love your writing and perspectives - always thought provoking and beautifully expressed. However maybe it’s something to do with age (early 50s) I haven’t built up a good habit of interacting with writers. I guess I am still harking back to reading print journalism offline and not expecting to engage. I also feel a bit odd commenting (again, why would anyone be bothered about my comment) which is absolutely ridiculous because I know you always read and respond. What I guess all this comes down to is - please keep going, and instead of just thinking about my reaction to your writing I will try to get better at sharing it with you!
Thank you! And don’t feel pressured to comment if it feels exposing - I think it’s important to do what’s right for you. But you have shed a very important new perspective on the habits around interacting online and I find it fascinating as it might explain a lot.
From the contents of this post, it seems like you have five goals for your Substack and they are all of equally high priority:
1. Community and connection
2. To feel a freedom in your writing that you don't have in any other part of your life (and I can't help being curious about this lack - not sure if it only refers to writing or not)
3. To gain paid subscribers
4. To make a living however small
5. To avoid working in corporate settings / doing corporate writing
I would not venture to give advice, but I wanted to share the observation of so many goals, because I think that's an inherently frustrating state of affairs. I've been inconsistently posting on Substack for a year and I don't even know what my niche might be, or my goals, other than to get people to read my thoughts. So, you're helping me think. I hope you don't quit writing your newsletter.
It’s only in reference to writing 😇
I was a paid subscriber to you for a few months a while back. Actually, you’re the only writer I’ve ever paid for on this platform! I like the kinds of things you’ve had to say about womanhood, self worth, etc. I switched back to a free subscription just to be a bit more prudent with my budget (I live in the US). Still have student loans!
Thanks for sharing your honesty here. Maybe someday Substack will be a place for writers to all have consistent growth. But your subscriptions plateauing is more about the economy and other metrics, and not about the quality of what you do!
Completely understand! DM me your email and I’ll give you a free paid subscription for a few months as a thank you 💜
Oh thank you! 😊 That’s kind.
Agree with what so many people have shared here, and with many of the areas that you raise in your piece, Poorna.
Your writing is honest and relatable, and I’m really glad that you have been able to experiment here (I have a newsletter, and that is how I now view what I do there).
Over the past few months, I have realised that there are only a handful of newsletters that I make a conscious choice to read each week, and yours is always one of them.
That is very, very kind of you 💜